Summer was surely upon the city of Teruel in Iberia. The scorching sun beamed down furiously on the lone traveler making his way back home after a long day's work. Sweat beaded up and rolled steadily down Elìas's angular and soot cover face. His back ached from completeing his long shift deep in the mines, a sure sign that his daily wages were well earned. To his relief his small home on the outskirts of the vast city of Teruel came into view. Smoke from the grill pit floated gracefully into the air assuring him that his sister, Yessinia, had indeed keep her promise of a hot meal.
Finally, Elìas crossed the threshold of his humble abode and found shelter from the unforgiving sun. Yessinia had just finished preparing a hearty stew and stood above their small table distributing the dish between two bowls. She glanced up at her older brother, smirking mirthfully.
"Ah, the Gods smile upon me and see my brother returned safely from the mine once more." Her voice had a ring to it not unlike a bell. Being a younger sibling at the blossoming age of 17, Yessinia naturally lived to poke fun at her brother. She was a beauty know through out the city by many suitors, but none worthy of Elìas's blessing.
"It is my own skill and keen intellect that keeps me from succumbing to an I'll fate, not the gods. That and my obligation to keep you fed and off the streets. " Elìas quipped. He took a seat at the table opposite his sister. She'd recently had a birthday and he had hardly noticed how much she had grown until now. She'd gone from a knobby kneed bean pole to a radiant young woman seemingly overnight.
Elìas and his sister shared many physical attributes, most noticeably their honey colored eyes given to them by their mother. They both had thick dark hair that curled and flowed freely from their head and skin of a rich caramel hue. Elìas was taller than his sister by quite a few inches but that didn't stop her from standing up against him when she felt the need. If truth were to be told, Elìas was truly proud of his sister.
" I hope you were able to bring home a hefty pay. We're beginning to run low on bread and wine. And we both know we can't have that." Yessinia raised her glass and shook it so that Elìas could see it was empty.
"Luckily for you your brother is more than an adequate provider. The true question is whether or not my dear sister will be responsible enough to actually make needed purchases or philander with the local derelicts who have little to no point in drawing breath?" Elìas taunted. He exaggerated the extent of her flirtatious nature, but his goal was to agitate her. Yessinia rolled her eyes and chuckled sarcastically. Instead of firing an insult back she merely took another bite of her stew and stared Elìas down. "There will be plenty to fill our shelves and our bellies. Have no doubt of that." He smiled at Yessinia, raising his newly emptied glass to her to show his appreciation. It was decided that they would both go into the city after the pale light of dawn. The two finished their meals in comfortable silence before cleaning up and preparing for bed.
The siblings shared a room in they're small home. As Elìas prepared to climb into his bed, Elìas noticed his sister staring at him with a strange look on her face. For a moment he swore he could see a glimpse of the small child she once was behind her eyes, looking admiringly at her older brother. Elìas grinned and asked her what thoughts danced in her head, to which she replied-
" I'm glad to have you as a brother. After mother's passing I remember feeling so lost and unsure of how to get by without her. Now I see I had nothing to worry about as long as I have you by my side. If you truly did find misfortune in the mine or elsewhere, I fear for what would become of me. " Yessinia's face suddenly fell victim to her troublesome thoughts. Elìas chuckled warmly.
" Such things are not worth contemplating. You need never worry about your wellbeing as long as I walk this earth." Elìas climbed into bed. He watched as the glow returned in Yessinia's eyes, comforted. She shifted In her bed and Elîas waited until he heard her steady breathing, having drifted into slumber. He closed his eyes and allowed the darkness of sleep to take him away as well. The house fell silent in the still of a starry night.
The silence would not stay to see them through til morning, for closing in at a quick and steady pace was a legion of soldiers set with the task of expanding the ever growing mighty empire of Rome.
For a brief moment, Elìas thought himself in a dream, but reality came to him upon hearing screams of desperation from Yessinia. He'd been awoken by men shouting and wrecking havoc in their home. Four soldiers stood before him adorned in the finest and most ornate armor Elìas had ever seen. A particularly large soldier reached down and gripped Elìas by his tunic and wrestled him to his feet. Elìas glanced towards Yessinia's bed but found no trace of his little sister.
"Yessinia! Where is she?!?! WHERE IS SHE?!?" Elìas jumped and squirmed, trying to free himself from the soldiers grip. A second soldier came to his cohort's aid and seized Elìas as well, thwarting any chance of breaking the hold upon him. Still struggling, the two soldiers drug Elìas out of his home and out into the crisp night air. With one quick thrust, Elìas was thrown to the ground on his stomach painfully forcing the breath from his lungs. He lifted his head towards Teruel and saw the city ablaze. He glanced quickly around him searching desperately for his sister. He heard her screams echoing through the air and finally found her, a soldier on each side of her. They each restrained her by her wrists as she struggled back and forth, kicking and screaming.
" Put the girl in chains. Kill the dog." Elìas heard a stringent voice over the chaos. Upon following the direction from whence it came Elìas saw a Roman general astride a white armored stallion.
" Release her now or learn the definition of true suffering!" Elìas bellowed. A Roman soldier was on his back, his knee planted firmly in Elìas's spine, but no man was going to keep him down while his sister's life was at stake. Elìas flung his head backward making contact with the soldiers face, shattering the man's nose with a sickening crack. Within seconds Elìas was on his feet. He quickly picked up the incapacitated soldier's sword and with out hesitation sliced through the downed man's throat. Crimson fluid spilled like a cascading waterfall from his neck. He then turned to the nearest soldier who was too slow to block Elìas's thrust. In a flash of silver the blade penetrated the soldiers gut at a weak point in the side of the armor.
" ELÌAS!" Yessinia cried, fearing for her brother as he continted his rampage. There were maybe ten men excluding the general, but numbers were of no concern to the Iberian. He continued to run through man after man until there were only four left standing.The remaining two soldiers who were not holding Yessinia captive now closed in together on Elìas. He raised his sword prepared to strike another fatal blow when the soldier to his left kicked him hard in the chest, sending him to the ground. Now it was the soldier to his right's turn to deal a death blow. Yessinia, however, would not allow her brother to be struck down. She finally jerked her hands free and quickly seized the neighboring soldier's sword. She darted towards Elìas and the soldiers, sword raised to the heavens. She bellowed a battle cry and prepared to slice straight through the first soldiers neck. Elìas watched in horror as the scene before him played out in slow motion.
It was too dark to see that only a few feet further from them, beyond the general, two archers stood poised to fire. As suddenly as a bolt of lightening, they released their arrows from their bows. Flying true to the archers' aim, the arrows embedded themselves deep into the girl's back. With a loud gasp, Yessinia stopped dead in her tracks, the sword slipping from her hands and falling like a stone at her feet.
"Yessinia! NOOOOOOO!" Elìas screamed, horrified and in disbelief. He leapt back to his feet and started towards his sisters bleeding body. The two soldiers before him grabbed him beneath each arm and held him back. Yessinia lay on her stomach, eyes wide and pleading to Elìas. She locked eyes with her brother and he watched as with one final heave she gave her last breath. The life dimmed from her golden eyes. A single tear slid silently down her cheek. Elìas's mind went blank. His body went numb. He couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. His sister was gone. He'd failed to save her. He had no reason for living now.
"Hold him still!" The general spoke up once again. He slid down from his stead and approached. Suddenly, Elìas realized there was in fact a reason for living... vengeance.
"Well that was an unnecessary outcome. She would have made an ideal slave..."The general knelt down beside Yessinia's body, brushing a strand of curly hair from her face.
"Take your repulsive hands off her, you Roman piece of shit!!!!!" Elìas spat venomously, but the words had no effect on the general.
"...She would have resided in a resplendent villa, far exceeding this hole we plucked you from. I had thought her more valuable than the animal before me. After that display of bloodlust I am forced to face my error of judgement.The irony is as sweet as deepest red wine that she should die and you should live." The general was now face to face with Elìas. He was the epitome of Roman opulence. His icey blue eyes pierced Elìas to his core. A fire grew in the pit of his stomach. He once again began to struggle, ready to tear at the pompous general's flesh.
"Roman swine!!!! I'll slaughter you!!!!" Elìas shouted, his threat echoing through the air and on the breeze. The general stood rooted, the intimidating threat falling upon deaf ear. He stood still as a marble statue, only his mouth moving, twisted upwards into a amused grin. Elìas stood in complete contrast to the general's demeanor, twisting and writhing, aching to get his hands around the smug man's throat. Without warning, the general flung his head forward, head butting Elìas. Elìas's senses dulled. Hi ears rang. The general had incapacitated the Iberian.
"Chain him up and put him with the other prisoners. I have a new plan for our feisty friend. Send word to Numerius. Tell him Calidius Celsus has a gift for him. If the man wants to fight so badly, then we shall give him the opportunity."