Age of Edward Contest
Title: The Servant of Ares
Your pen name: poo235
Type of Edward: Ancient Greek Edward
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"Although I am a servant of Lord Enyalios,
I also know well the lovely gift of the Muses."
- Archilochus
*********************************
Pulling his straining manhood from under his tunic, the man stated, "I want you to pleasure me."
I stared back at him in horror, "Wh-wh-what?!"
Yesterday, this man had led an attack on our ravaged city, killing our strongest men, including my father, before we could surrender. Then his army of heathens had bound our arms and forced us to board their sea vessel prior to disembarking from the only home that I had ever known.
We were locked on the lowest level of the boat and offered only a meager ration of water, although, thankfully, our shackles were removed.
This morning, I was woken, brought to this room, and left with the vicious leader, who was currently staring at me with hungry eyes.
Suddenly, I felt very sick. My legs gave way and I fell to my knees as I gaped at him.
Assuming this was a sign of my compliance, he stepped forward and reached behind my head to bring my face toward his erect male sex so that I engulfed him in my mouth, nearly causing me to gag as he hit the back of my throat. Continuing to force my head back and forth, he repeated, "Pleasure me, " and added, "and I will reward you, ta philtata."
Staring up at him from under my eyelashes, I had no idea what he meant; however, I tried desperately to simply follow his orders so that I could get this awful experience over with. Tears began to escape my eyes, and his face blurred, though, for a second, I thought that his face had softened.
Impossible, I thought, he could not possibly have compassion, for he was a murderer, a monster.
Abruptly, his fluids hit the back of my throat with such force that I nearly choked before I collapsed on the floor and curled myself into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. After a minute, I felt strong arms pick me up off the floor and place me on something soft.
Fingertips traced circles on my back while a soft melodic humming ensconced me as I wept. Eventually, I quieted and sat up, drying my face with my sleeve while I composed myself.
Someone was sitting beside me, and I turned my head to see that it was he with a basket of bread and some fruit. In a soft voice, he spoke, "You may take this food with you. Unfortunately, this is all that I can offer since our supplies are limited and must be rationed." Then he reached a hand up to stroke my cheek and stared at me with his piercing green eyes. "I will see you again tomorrow."
Quickly, I grabbed the basket and escaped from the room, dreading what tomorrow would bring.
*********************************
After returning with the basket, my mother tried to feed me some bread and grapes, but I refused to eat the food, which I supposed was the "reward" that had been promised.
For the rest of the day, I lay curled in a ball. I felt filthy, and not because I had not bathed in three days. My mother hugged me closely while my sister Alysa sang my favorite songs for me in her musical voice. Alysa was born with the gift to see possible futures, so I suspected that she knew what had happened this morning. The Sight had been passed down to the first-born female in our family for centuries; it was both a burden and a blessing from the gods.
After many hours, I asked my mother to tell me stories from the Golden Days, the time before the ash descended on us, the walls of water destroyed our city, and we fell into the dark days that we all had grown up in.
"Tell me about your mother's parents, the story of how they met," I begged. She began reciting the story as her grandmother, my namesake, had told it.
~ 8 ~
The bull charged at the man in the arena below. The man was not afraid, sprinting lithely toward the bull. A mere second before the bull could attack, the male acrobat somersaulted over the snarling bull, propelling his muscular body in a forward motion by blocking off the bull's back with his hands. Flipping forward, the man flew through the air and landed gracefully on the balls of his feet behind the bull.
The crowd erupted with loud cheers. "Praise the Goddess of the Animals! All hail Potnia Theron!"
Two bull dancers followed the first in their dance with the bull, performing the same courageous, death-defying act. My eyes never left the first dancer though. He was beautiful. Smiling up at the crowd before he turned back toward the bull, he and the other two acrobats continued the ritual dance while I continued to stare at him. His muscled chest and torso rippled as he stalked the bull again and again with an excited glint in his eye, as if the bull were his prey. I had never seen such confidence before; it was mesmerizing.
After a few minutes, the ceremonial music ended, and the dancers quickly exited the arena. Immediately, I missed him. I felt drawn to the agile dancer, although I knew absolutely nothing about him.
My father was the bearer of order, a position that was handed down to him after his father died. This profession allowed my family to lead a privileged life, residing in a wealthy area on the western side of the city. However, my father was a compassionate man; he visited the poorer districts, bringing baskets filled with fruit and bread, and I often accompanied him. We knew nearly everyone and were well respected in the city. While I had never spoken with either of the other bull dancers, I was acquainted with their families. They both had participated in the bull dance last year.
This bull dancer was a mystery, with his light hair and pale white skin; yes, this man was most definitely not a native.
Our people were known for our dark eyes and black hair. Our history stated that the settlers of our island escaped Egypt and the cruel Pharaoh's rule hundreds of years ago in search of a peaceful existence. We built a more just government here at Cnossos under the benevolent King Minos, the island's first appointed leader.
My thoughts returned to the bull dancer enigma. I pondered his mastery of the bull dance, a tradition that was unique to our island's people and to the colonies that we had settled to the north. I needed to learn more about him, I wanted to speak with him, and I hoped that his personality was as intriguing as his foreign features.
My older sister Adelpha nudged me in the shoulder, interrupting my ruminations. Roused from my thoughts, I realized that I had missed the sacrifice of the bull. All around me, the crowd was reciting the Anthem to Artemis in low, reverent tones. I quickly joined in, silently berating myself for my transgression.
Every year, our people gathered for the Feast of the Bull to honor Artemis, the Goddess of Animals and the Hunt. In the days following our creation, our ancestors were helpless in the ways of our kind. Without Her guidance in the Ancient Days, they would have starved to death, subsisting only on apples from a nearby tree. Artemis taught them how to hunt and gather food. The meat of the bull was Her most treasured meal; since then, we had sacrificed a bull each year in thanksgiving. The bull dance represented the danger of the hunt, as well as the skill that was necessary for the hunt to be successful.
After we had finished our prayers to Her Holiness, the crowd quickly exited the arena seats. Since it took a few hours to butcher the bull and prepare its meat for the feast, we all dispersed and returned to our living quarters. The Feast of the Bull was an all day festivity that began just after sunrise with the bull dance and the bull sacrifice. Around midday, everyone gathered in the western courts to mingle before the feast, which was followed by a ritual dance to praise Artemis. Between the bull dancing and the ritual dancing, this festival was a favorite of mine.
I followed Adelpha and my friend Aleka out of the arena, and we continued on to our family's nearby villa. We planned to spend the next few hours in preparation for the evening's festivities.
On our way there, Adelpha leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I saw you staring at the exotic boy. Was that who you were daydreaming about?"
I laughed nervously. Why did she always have to be so perceptive? The words came out breathily, "I … he … he is so beautiful."
Adelpha giggled. "Yes, he is pretty. I have a good feeling about him, and I see you happy, exuberant."
Her words brought joy to my heart, for as the first-born, she was gifted with the Sight.
~ 8 ~
As I was drifting off to sleep, Alysa whispered in my ear, "Bella, all is not as it seems. Observe, open your eyes, and you will see the truth." I slowly shook my head in disbelief, but those were the last words I heard.
At first, I dreamed pleasantly of my ancestor, a yellow-haired bull dancer; however, the dream quickly warped into a nightmare with a green-eyed, sword-yielding monster chasing me as I screamed.
*********************************
"Take off your clothes, ta philata, " he ordered, his eyes raking over me.
For a few seconds, I stood still in my distress. Foolishly, I thought that I would only be required to repeat yesterday's disgusting act; clearly, I was wrong.
Trembling in fear, I fumbled with the ties that held my bodice. I stared back at him with as much confidence as I could muster; yesterday I had vowed to myself that he would never see my cry again. If I had to sacrifice my happiness to keep my friends and family fed, then I would. However, I had not prepared to sacrifice my body, and the idea terrified me.
Although my people had struggled for the past fifty years, we remained a peaceful society and had managed to uphold most of the laws from our Golden Days. No man had ever touched me, and now I was undressing myself, baring myself to someone that I distrusted, detested, and feared.
Finally, I stepped out of my skirt after it slipped down my legs. I jutted my chin up and gave him a deadly glare, which did not appear to deter his advances in the least.
Stepping forward, he pushed me backward by the shoulders until my knees hit his kline, and I was forced to sit. He knelt in front of me and nudged my legs apart before leaning forward and inhaling my scent deeply. "Mmmmm, you smell delicious. Today I will reciprocate and give you pleasure."
And what makes you think that I will find anything that you do pleasant? I thought to myself but held my tongue.
Eagerly, he reached between my thighs and stroked my female sex, causing a whimper to escape my lips.
"Relax, let go, ta philata, I want to bring you pleasure."
Reaching behind me, he pulled me closer to him and licked my folds. I screamed and leaned back, gripping the fabrics on the kline. As he continued lapping, a warmth began to spread through my body, and my breathing sped up as I writhed underneath his firm grasp. When he stuck his tongue inside me, I bucked toward him involuntarily.
He pulled back and taunted me. "Now, say please, and I will bring you to a release."
Gaining my wits with him at a safer distance, I instantly felt guilty for enjoying the way this vile monster was touching me, "No," I begged.
"Say it, say please, and I will reward you, ta philata. "
I hate you, you infuriating creature, I thought to myself. I wished that I knew what his foreign words meant.
His fingers began to tease my folds again, and I could barely gather my thoughts. One side of my brain was saying, Just lie, Bella, you can't let everyone starve by being selfish, while the other side of my brain, an evil part that I never knew existed, was screaming, Yes! Please, keep touching me!
Finally, I made my decision. "Please," I whispered softly, looking him straight in the eye.
He grinned triumphantly and resumed his ministrations. My breathing sped up again, and a delightful warmth crept back into my body. Reaching his hand up, he began squeezing my nub, and when he stuck his tongue inside me again, I shuddered in ecstasy as my sex twitched repeatedly. Unable to hold back the feeling of satisfaction, I threw my head back and reveled in the orgasm until my body began to relax again.
After a few seconds, I remembered where I was, and my stomach tightened at what would be expected of me now. Reluctantly, I looked back down and saw him staring at me with a peculiar expression on his face.
Turning around abruptly, he pointed at the basket on the floor. "Get dressed. You may leave now." His posture was stiff as he clenched and unclenched his fists and strode from the room.
Feeling confused and extremely guilty, I dressed, gathered the basket, and fled back downstairs to my family.
As I had yesterday, I refused any food, causing my mother to fret over me as she attempted to force me to eat some bread. Instantly, I felt even guiltier. My mother had lost her husband three days ago, and she was taking care of me. However, I absolutely refused to eat the food that I had earned by indulging an inhuman fiend.
Alysa also prodded me to eat today but offered no words of wisdom.
Later that evening, I beseeched by mother, "Will you continue with the story? I do not want to think about this morning anymore."
So she continued…
~ 8 ~
Later that day, I stared at my reflection in the bronze mirror. For the first time, I felt self-conscious about my appearance. While I knew that I was attractive – I had spent the last two years fending off a few mindless suitors – I wanted him to find me appealing.
Dressed in the traditional ceremonial garb, I admired my long skirt as it flared out slightly from my hips in a bell shape. The tight bodice and belt squeezed my waist to accentuate my curves and squeeze my breasts, which were exposed above the hem of my short-sleeved red and gold bodice. I was still somewhat shy about my breasts since they had only rounded out recently. When men stared at them, I felt more like an object than a person. I was proud of my body, yet I sought a man who saw beyond the superficial exterior.
I positioned my gold headband and admired the fabric interwoven through the beautiful curls that Aleka had helped me with. Unlike Adelpha and Aleka, who had straight hair, my hair was a wayward mess that was always escaping from the intricate hairdressings that we wore. Without my friend's or my sister's help, I would be completely hopeless.
Aleka pulled me from my reverie, "You look beautiful, as always. All of the men are going to swoon over you as they always do."
"Thank you, Aleka, that color of blue compliments your skin beautifully. Belen will be speechless." Belen and Aleka were married last year. They had known each other their whole lives and were very much in love.
One of the peacemaking laws in our society was that a man and a woman were only allowed one partner. Our ancestors found that it reduced the tension amongst ourselves. There was less hostility when we were monogamous and when marriages were not forced. Allowing the man and woman to choose their respective partners resulted in peace and happiness.
With less quarreling, we devoted our time toward science, the arts, and architecture. We traded with many societies who marveled at our flowing aqueducts, intricate pottery, and complex roads and sewers.
Personally, I most enjoyed the artwork, especially the frescoes, and I often visited Ioannes, the city's most accomplished painter and also someone that I considered as an older brother. Many years ago, when I found Ioannes painting a beautiful fresco of dolphins on a wall inside the castle, I begged him to teach me his craft, and, although I was only seven, he obliged, setting up weekly lessons at his family's home.
Hmmmm, I should suggest that we attempt a depiction of the bull dance.
I chuckled; Ioannes often painted my sister and me into his artwork, stating that we were his two favorite people, and I could see him painting us as female dancers. While there were women who had trained for the bull dance, I had never heard of a female being allowed in the arena with a live bull. Unfortunately, few women could develop the upper arm strength that was necessary for the feat, though both male and female children loved to play on the wooden bull that was used for practice.
When I was younger, I tried to convince my father to let the Bull Trainer instruct me; however, my father was always overprotective of me, probably because he had lost my mother and was afraid of losing me, his youngest daughter. He was the only person I knew that was more stubborn than me, which meant that I never won any arguments with him. I had to eventually give up that dream.
I turned around when I saw Adelpha enter the room with three cups of wine.
"Ladies," she announced, "let's drink to a magical evening. Praise Artemis, stin iyia mas!"
"Yiamas!" Desma and I cheered in unison.
We all held up the small cups then quickly downed the wine in one gulp.
"Let's get to the party!" Adelpha sang.
My father, Aleka's parents, and Belen greeted us as we entered the western court.
Kissing my sister and me on the cheek, my father said, "Bellanca, you look beautiful, more and more like your mother every day. Adelpha, my daughter, you will be breaking many men's hearts this evening. Aleka, you look lovely as well."
We all thanked him graciously as our group headed toward our reserved table.
My father held my and Adelpha's chairs out for us then sat down to my left, leaving an empty seat between my sister and me. This puzzled me since he usually sat between us, so I looked inquisitively at my father.
"Ioannes has asked to join our table for the evening's feast," he explained as he gestured toward the empty seat. Everyone nodded at this information, and I quickly disregarded it as nothing of consequence.
We chattered aimlessly for a few minutes while we waited for the King and Queen to enter and announce the feast.
Aleka's father poured everyone a goblet of wine from the amphora at the center of the table before stating, "I must say, that new bull dancer this morning was very impressive, and he has such fair coloring. I wonder who he is. I don't think that I've ever seen him before."
Adelpha added, "Yes, he was very striking. Bella, don't you agree?"
"Adelpha!" I hissed at her before looking over toward my father frantically, but, just beyond my father, at an adjacent table, I saw him staring straight at me.
I quickly diverted my eyes to the wooden table, suddenly finding the knot in the wood to be very intriguing. Great, he probably thinks that I'm a lovesick fool, I thought.
My father leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Bellanca, it is perfectly normal for a woman your age to find a man attractive. There is no need to be embarrassed. I want what is best for you, and I know that you will meet a wonderful man someday. Just do not forget your dear old father when that man comes along."
"Oh, father, you don't need to worry about that. You know how devoted I am to you. I will never leave."
"I don't expect you to take care of me forever, my daughter, I can fend for myself, " he smiled softly. "You are so much like your mother, so self-sacrificing, but you are a gifted woman. Ioannes has been boasting about your artistic talents for years now. He even says that your skills will soon surpass his own." I scoffed at that, and he persisted, "Ioannes would never lie about something like his artistic skills, something of which he is very proud."
"No, I most certainly would not," Ioannes declared from behind me. I felt him place a hand on my shoulder. "Hello, Christos." He bowed to my father and kissed my and Adelpha's cheek. Then he pulled out the empty chair and sat down gracefully. "I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting."
"We barely just arrived ourselves, Ioannes," my father assured him.
Ioannes took Adelpha's hand under the table.
This is new. For the second time, I turned for an explanation from my father, who was grinning widely at the couple. How had I missed this?
Ioannes cleared his throat. "We have an announcement to make. As you all know, Adelpha and I have been friends for many years, and we recently discovered that we would like something more. Adelpha and I will be marrying a week from today. We hope that you all will be there."
Ioannes was looking at me throughout his entire speech. "Bella, are you okay?"
I must have looked shocked. "Y-y-yes, I-I'm fine, just surprised." I stuttered out. I took a deep breath, "This is wonderful news. I am happy for both of you."
"Thank you, Bella." He reached for my hand. "Adelpha would love for you to be her attendant for the wedding. We both want you to be a part of this."
Adelpha turned to me with pleading eyes, and I quickly accepted.
They both smiled at me then turned to gaze into each other's eyes. I turned to my father to give them some privacy, but my gaze flickered instead to him. He again was staring in my direction, although his expression was now full of pure hatred. After a second or two, he turned his face away, leaving me completely bewildered. What possible reason could he have for hating me?
Aleka's father then proposed a toast to the new couple, and I turned back to my table to join in the round of cheers.
A loud gong sounded, announcing the arrival of the king and queen. The crowd fell completely silent in preparation for the feast.
For the first time, I was not looking forward to the night's events. I simply could not wait for this confusing night to be over.
~ 8 ~
As sleep overcame me that night, I realized that I had forgotten about this part of the story. My mind had suppressed it and had instead focused on an idealistic image of my great-grandparent's love. It was childish to assume such an image. In reality, love and pain were kindred emotions. Without love, there was all-consuming pain.
Recalling the Tale of Amor and Psyche, I conceived that love was even difficult for the gods. Eros betrayed his mother Aphrodite and fell in love with the mortal Psyche, who, desperate in her love for Eros, lied to her own sisters, causing them to unwittingly jump to their death. While Aphrodite and the sisters had all acted out of jealousy, it did not justify the exploits of the unrequited lovers.
Jealousy, that was another intense emotion that could be elicited by love, and it was at the root of the misconception between my great-grandparents.
Based on their love story, two things became abundantly clear: one, appearances were often clouded by judgment and two, those appearances could be very deceiving.
Amazingly, I fell into a dreamless sleep that night.
*********************************
"What is your name, ta philata?" he stared at me from the kline where he was seated, still dressed in his sleeping robe.
His calm demeanor this morning had me completely baffled. I could not fathom an explanation for his strange shift in moods. Even this morning, the guards had bowed to me before leaving me here in this room.
All that I could do was respond, "Bella, Bellanca in full, but I prefer Bella."
"Come here, Bella." His voice was smooth and seductive, making it very difficult for me to remember that I loathed him. Though I had tried to deny it, he was very attractive with his unkempt reddish-brown hair and strong jawline, and I unwillingly was drawn in by his spell, walking toward him in a trance-like state.
"Bella, my name is Antoni." He stood and took my hand, kissing my knuckles before pulling me closer to him and kissing my neck.
Despite my aversion to him, the kiss stirred unwanted desires. I tried to step backwards, but he held me firmly in place and sat down, pulling me onto his lap so that I was straddling him.
After staring into my eyes for a long moment, he began to trail kisses from my chin along my jaw to behind my ear, descending down my neck to my collarbone. He stopped there and pulled back to say, "You are the most beautiful and fascinating creature I have ever beheld. When we arrive at the palace, I would like to make you my wife."
His final word broke me from the trance. Shoving him forcefully, I stood in front of him and screamed, "NO! I will never marry you! You are a monster. You killed my father. You stole us from our homeland, and you forced me to desecrate my body. I hate you. You are evil."
During my tirade, his body shrank away from me, retreating to the other side of the kline where his body crumpled and his face fell into his hands.
Before I could feel any remorse for what I had said, I ran from the room and stumbled my way down the stairs to my family. I threw myself into my bewildered mother's arms and sobbed, gasping for air. I felt completely desolate, although I had no idea why I was in so much pain.
Eventually, I passed out, and I didn't wake up until later that evening, when I learned that our captors had been generous today, leaving us more than double the food rations that we had previously received.
Starved from my self-imposed fasting, I nibbled on some bread and fruit. However, I could not enjoy it, for I felt guilty once again, but not for the same reason that I had yesterday.
That night I did not need my mother to continue my ancestor's love story. The words of my great-grandmother washed over me as I tossed and turned on the cold, hard floor.
~ 8 ~
My stomach was so upset that I could barely touch the usually delicious meat during the meal, having lost my appetite from fretting over why he hated me so. Ioannes and my father were glancing at me with worried expressions, so I tried to smile, involve myself in the conversation at the table, and finish the meal before me. It was a sin to waste the sacrificial meat. Luckily, my father was discreetly sneaking bites from my plate.
I was truly happy for my sister and Ioannes; however, I couldn't stop fretting over him. There was absolutely no excuse for my despondent behavior. We had never even spoken a word to each other. Why was I so obsessed?
Finally, the dishes were cleared, and we got up and exited to the western courtyard, where we could either mingle or join in the ritual dance.
The musicians were still tuning their large stringed musical instruments as we entered the courtyard and huddled together.
After the music started, I followed the couples and joined in the dance around the statue of Artemis. For a few minutes, I danced by myself, but Ioannes pulled me in for a few rounds of the ritual dance before he returned to Adelpha.
Suddenly feeling envious of the others, I retreated with a cup of wine to a corner of the courtyard and watched from afar, mulling over the day's events. Even if the bull dancer thought ill of me, I knew that I would find a partner someday, someone that could love me for who I was.
A tap on my shoulder made me jump and almost spill my wine. I turned around and sucked in a breath.
My, he is even more beautiful up close, I thought to myself. What is he doing here? I thought he hated me.
He smiled and held out his arm. "Would you like to dance?"
I couldn't speak. I nodded and followed him, staring at our entwined arms. We joined the circle, dancing around the statue of Artemis. He took his arm from mine and squeezed my hand, looking deep into my eyes.
We began the ritual dance for Artemis, but I was lost in his gaze. I could barely breathe, and I tripped on his foot falling straight into him. He caught me in his arms and smirked before returning us to the customary positions.
Embarrassed, I looked away and concentrated on the dance. Once there was a pause in the dancing, he pulled me away and led me back to the corner of the courtyard.
Once we were alone, he asked, "What is your name, beautiful?"
I was nearly breathless between his proximity and his piercing eyes. They were a light blue, nothing like I had ever seen.
I sighed longingly and replied, "Bella, Bellanca in full, but I prefer Bella."
"Bella, I am so happy to meet you. My name is Chrysander." He kissed my hand. Our eyes locked for a long moment.
I finally gained my wits and asked, "What brings you to Cnossos? You are not familiar to me."
He looked away quickly with a pained expression. I tugged his hand so that he would look back at me and continued, "I can see that it pains you. Please, don't feel like you must tell me. We can speak of something else."
He returned his gaze to me and began, "No, I want to tell you. I," he paused, "Yes, it still makes me sad. I lost my parents to a disease that ravished my city. I miss them, but I came here to start anew." At this, a small smile crossed his lips. "Since I was a young boy I have been training to be a bull dancer. My trainer in Akrotiri, where I am from, sent a letter to the Bull Trainer here to recommend me. I arrived only two weeks ago. My days have been spent catching up on my training for the festival. I had never gone so long without practicing. At night, however, …" he trailed off and looked away.
"However?" I prodded.
Instead of answering my question, he looked back at me and said, "I hear that there is to be a wedding."
"Yes," I responded with enthusiasm. "I am so happy. My father obviously approves as well, and my sister Adelpha is ecstatic. I looked over toward where Ioannes and Adelpha were dancing. They did make a lovely couple.
When I turned back to Antoni, I was shocked by his furious expression. "Well, I extend my congratulations to you and your family. It certainly is a perfect match."
He turned on his heel and stalked away, leaving me baffled by his strange shift in moods.
Before I could think too long about what had just occurred, Adelpha took my hand and led me to our father. "Father, please take Bella home. She is not feeling well."
He took one look at me and then quickly ushered me to a side exit and led me back to our villa. That night I cried myself to sleep over a beautiful golden-haired boy who would never love me.
~ 8 ~
My own tears were shed that night. I cried for my father, I cried for the loss of my homeland, and I cried because I longed for love too. Mostly, though, I cried for myself because, despite my better instincts, I longed for nothing more in that moment than the warm embrace of the beautiful green-eyed man upstairs. If he was a monster, then I was too.
*********************************
No one summoned me the next day, which left me feeling irrationally bereft of his presence.
Antoni, his name was Antoni. I hardly knew him, yet I had judged him from the moment we had met.
While he had murdered my father, and I had no doubts that he had killed many others in his lifetime, I realized now that he was much more complex than the demonic image I had created in my mind.
Based on the stories that had been passed down about his people, the Mycenaeans, the gods had blessed them with strong warriors to fulfill the Divine Will. Jaded by pain, I had blamed Antoni for my father's death when, in reality, it was the gods' will. Antoni's conquest of our people unquestionably was a divine order from the God of War to liberate us from our hunger and suffering in Cnossos, where we had been struggling to survive since the Golden Days.
With these new revelations, I recalled my time with Antoni, and I found it difficult to fault his behavior. In fact, it was possible that he had viewed his interest in me as a venerable act since he held a position of power amongst his people.
Then, I struggled to remember if he had ever actually been cruel to me, and it was also difficult to find any claim that he had meant me any harm. Besides forcing me to "pleasure" him that first morning and teasing me the second morning, he had otherwise treated me kindly and, at times, almost reverently.
Even that first day, I recalled that I had fallen to my knees, which could have been perceived as an act of submission, although that was not my intent. If I had denied him, what would have happened? In my fear and loathing of him, I had uttered very few words in his presence.
Just before his release, his face had softened as my tears blinded me. When I lay curled in a ball on the floor sobbing afterward, he had picked me up, brought me to his kline and comforted me, staying with me until the tears finally stopped.
On the second day, I had truthfully enjoyed how he touched me. Then he had let me go without requiring that I take him into my mouth again, although I still did not understand his agitation that day...
Oh, How I longed for him to take me in his arms again and kiss me as he had that third day.
After he loved my skin with his soft lips, I had spat venom at him and left him looking like a broken man, and his only reaction was to double our food rations, which he had told me on the first day were limited in supply.
Under that hard exterior were glimpses of kindness that I had chosen to ignore.
What had Alysa told me that first night? It was something about opening my eyes and finding the truth based on my observations.
However, this brought little comfort. Despite my revelation last night, I could never admit to my mother that I desired the affections of a man who had killed her husband and my father.
Instead, I convinced myself that I would stay away from him. It was unlikely that he would want to see me again anyway after the way that I had spoken to him the previous day.
With a resigned heart, I spent the day trying to distract myself. In an attempt to engage myself in conversation, I sought out my childhood friend Micah, who usually could make me laugh, but even he could not pull me from my despondency.
Eventually, I retreated back to Alysa, who hugged me and murmured that everything would be okay. I tried to believe her; she was always right, but I was not feeling hopeful at the moment.
When a double ration of food arrived again, mother looked at me quizzically as if she knew that I was hiding something. I simply shook my head and avoided her.
The next two days passed in a similar fashion: sorrow, boredom, double rations.
Micah was beginning to annoy me as he followed me around and chattered incessantly. Not only was I depressed, irritable, and anxious, I hadn't bathed in a week. The lower level of the boat was now rank with human body odor.
That night I dreamed of a beautiful man, who I splashed playfully with in the sea. He gathered me in his arms and took me to the shore where we made love, his green eyes shining at me, and I was happy.
When I awoke, I was desperately aroused. I retreated to a corner of the room to hide in my shame.
A few minutes later, my mother approached me with a determined look on her face. "You are in love with him," she stated confidently.
"No! I am not. How could you suggest that? He is a killer." I heard my voice faltering and hoped that my mother would not notice.
"Bella," she sighed, "you know that you have never been a good liar. I can see it in your eyes. You feel guilty about it. You are scared for me to know the truth. Listen to me, my daughter; I will not judge you on this. I miss your father dearly, and I know that you miss him too. However, I trust you. You have always been a very good judge of character. I have spoken to your sister about this, and she tells me that the outcome is inevitable. No matter how hard you are trying to deny your feelings now, you will eventually give into them, and I cannot bear to see you go one more day in such a miserable state. Now, go to him."
I stared at my mother incredulously. "You are not upset with me?"
"No, I am not. I only want for you to be happy. If he makes you happy, then so be it."
Hugging my mother tightly, I said, "Thank you. I love you."
I ran to the door and banged on it, begging the guard beyond to let me see Antoni. There were low voices on the other side as I continued to bang in impatience. Behind me, I heard confused voices and some young children crying at the loud noise. While I felt badly about that, I was desperate.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened. A guard said that Antoni would see me and led me to his room, leaving me outside the entrance.
Taking a few minutes to calm myself, I took deep breaths then entered to see Antoni, looking very anxious, seated on his kline. Despite my attempt to calm myself outside his room, I ran to him in that instant and jumped on his lap, hugging him tightly.
At first I felt his body stiffen, but he relaxed quickly and began stroking my back lightly as I buried my head in his neck and breathed him in.
Then I pulled back quickly, "I'm sorry, I haven't bathed in a week. I must smell wretched."
He was smiling as he chuckled and pulled me back toward him, kissing my neck. "Neither have I. Anyway, I am so happy in this moment that I could care less what you smelled like, although I find your fragrance to be very enticing, I must admit." He lay down and pulled me down to lie next to him, staring at me for several minutes while I stared back.
In the back of my mind, I knew that I had questions, but I could not formulate them right away.
Breaking the silence first, he asked, "Why are you here?"
I thought for a long time about how to respond before saying, "I wanted to talk to you. I missed you." His face lit up when I admitted that, and I blushed.
He reached his hand up to my cheek and stroked it delicately, "So beautiful."
After a minute, I gained the courage to ask my question. I reached up and took his hand away from my face then clasped his hand in my own. "Why do you do it? Why do you kill?" He looked away, his face hardening, and I took his chin to force him to look back at me as I continued, "I have seen another side of you, a compassionate side, how you have treated me with tenderness despite my own obstinacy. Please, tell me."
Sitting up quickly, he turned to look at me with a very serious, pained face, "Bella, everything that you said about me the other day is true. I am a monster, a killer, and I do not deserve you."
"No, Antoni, I know that you are hiding behind this hard exterior." I sat up and squeezed his hand. "I know that you have done horrible things in your life, but I don't care. Now, please tell me."
"You don't care, " he spat at me, shaking with rage. "You don't care that I'm a killer, that I've killed innocent people, that I killed your father." A sob escaped from him as he choked out the last part, and he was no longer shaking with rage. He was sobbing. I held him as the tears fell, kissing them away.
Exhaustion eventually took over, and he fell back onto the kline, pulling me with him and holding me tightly. His face began to soften in his sleep, and a hint of boyish innocence spread across it. I admired how handsome he was, tracing across his facial features with my fingertips.
Finally, I snuggled against him. Although he had not answered my question, I had learned two important things. First, he felt remorse about his killings. Second, he loathed himself with an ardor that possibly surpassed how I had loathed him six days ago.
Sleep began to overtake me too, and my thought returned to Bellanca and Chrysander …
~ 8 ~
All week, I watched Ioannes and Adelpha interact, and I wondered how I had never noticed how they felt for each other. They truly were one of the happiest couples that I had ever seen. Jealousy stabbed at my heart all week, but I quelled it the best that I could.
Thoughts of Chrysander's rejection plagued me since the day of the festival. To avoid these thoughts, I found solace in my artwork. After I mentioned the bull dancing fresco to Ioannes, he agreed wholeheartedly that it was a fantastic idea. The time that was not spent preparing for the wedding was devoted to perfecting the painting. As I had surmised, he insisted that we paint Adelpha and myself in.
The day of the wedding finally arrived. Standing beside Adelpha, I smiled at the couple as they vowed to love each other for eternity. The priestesses summoned the Goddess of Love to sanctify their union before our friends and family who all watched in joy as the couple sealed their union with a kiss.
Looking out at the small gathering, I started when I saw Chrysander in the back staring at me intently. What is he doing here? I asked myself in confusion.
Quickly, I looked away. Ioannes and Adelpha were confessing to the Owl of Wisdom and Good Fortune in his cage. After they were finished, they came over to embrace me. I wished them happiness in their Week of Bliss. They went on to embrace father and Ioannes' parents before they walked off hand in hand to the Seclusion House, where they would spend the next week exploring each other's bodies.
I looked back toward where Chrysander had been standing, but he was gone. Story of my life, I lamented.
Returning to my father, I took his arm, and we walked home, where I retreated to my room to read from a scroll I had borrowed from the palace's library.
After a few minutes, my father walked in and announced that I had a visitor. I stared at him in confusion but followed him as he led me out to our courtyard.
Chrysander stood with his back to me as he gazed at the waterfall my father had built.
"Hello, " I said tentatively after my father left.
Chrysander turned around and smiled widely at me before walking toward me and taking my hand to kiss my knuckles.
"I am so sorry for my behavior at the festival last week. You must think that I am a monster," he apologized, his facial expression contrite.
"No, I do not think of you as a monster, not in the slightest. I am simply confused."
"Bella, I …" he trailed off. "Sometimes I have trouble with words when I am in your presence," he continued, "and I most certainly have trouble with my brain function."
A nervous giggle escaped my lips.
"That night," he resumed, "I was under the impression that you had become promised to Ioannes. The ladies at my table, as it turns out, were gossips, and they insisted that the two of you had been lovers for years, something about art lessons actually being something entirely different."
I was horrified, "What?" I squeaked.
"Yes, I know, you must be appalled by the implication. I am embarrassed to say that I thought it possible. After the dance, I asked about the upcoming wedding, and you were so excited about it. Assuming that it was you that was marrying, I was disgusted with myself, for feeling about you how I did without even knowing you. However, my assumptions were wrong, and I deeply regret how I acted that night."
"Your... your feeling about me?"
He sucked in a breath, "I saw you the first night. I was here as a guest to the King since I was to be a bull dancer for the festival. I couldn't stop thinking of you, your beautiful heart-shaped face. I have never been more captivated by a woman in my life." He reached up to stroke my cheek.
After his declaration, I reached for him and pressed our bodies together as one. For several minutes, I basked in the feel of his arms around me. I reluctantly pulled back to say, "I never have seen anything more beautiful than you stalking the bull with such excitement. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I can't stop thinking about you either." I kissed his muscular chest softly and looked up at him through my eyelashes. He looked dazed by my confession.
"Come, " I continued, "we will talk." I tugged him toward my sleeping quarters.
Looking back at him, he seemed to be blindly following me, which made me giggle.
I led him to my kline, and we sat side-by-side.
He told me about his parents, how they were originally from the north where it was very cold. They had travelled for many years before settling on the island of Thera and giving birth to him. He told me about the hours and hours that he spent training for bull fighting, about how passionate he was about it, although he did not need to tell me, for I could see it in his eyes and how he accentuated his words with his arms.
I told him about my life here in Cnossos, about how my mother died in childbirth. I told him about how it made me feel like I had to be an adult at a young age in order to take care of my father. I told him about my sister and Aleka and how they were the only girls my age that I felt truly understood me. I told him about my love of art and about the bull fighting fresco that we had painted that week. He was excited to see it.
We were lost in each other. At some point, we stopped talking and just stared.
Suddenly he broke the silence, "Will you be mine, Bella? I want you so, so badly. I know that we have only known each other for a short time, but I know that this is it for me. Please say yes. Please say that you will marry me."
He looked so desperate. All that I could do was grin. He wanted me? He wanted to marry me? This beautiful, ethereal man wanted me as his one partner in life? I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I stared at him and attempted to nod.
He rolled me into his arms then and kissed me. He held me so close that I could feel the muscles in his strong chest as he breathed. The sound of our heartbeats merged, making it feel like we were one.
After a minute or two, I rose from the kline and announced, "Come, we need to speak with my father."
He grinned and followed me.
~ 8 ~
A gentle shake woke me from my peaceful slumber.
"Come, Bellanca, we are nearing the shore. I told the guards to bring everyone upstairs as we approach land. We will dock at Tiryns and spend the night there before heading onto Mycenae in the morning."
As I processed his words, he pulled me to stand and smoothed my hair and my clothing. "Yes," I replied, "Come, I want to introduce you to my mother and sister."
A look of trepidation flashed on his face before he steeled himself. He nodded and held my hand firmly in his as I led him out onto the deck.
*********************************
One year later
"Antoni, must you leave tomorrow?" I asked ruefully as I unconsciously rubbed my round belly.
My husband dropped to his knees in front of me, hugging my thighs and placing a kiss where my hand rested on our growing baby. Gazing up at me, his voice rang with sorrow, "Ta philata, you know how much I despise my duties as lawagetas, but I must do as the His Divinity King Artaxias decrees. I never want to leave you, but I especially do not want to leave now with you swollen with our babe. I should be back within ten days time though."
"But what if something happens to you? What if our babe comes sooner than expected? I can't do this without you. Maybe Iakob could lead the army to quell this uprising."
"No, Bella, you know as well as I that it is the worst sin for me to shirk my duties. Alysa says that all will be well here in Mycenae during the army's absence. Trust your sister, she always knows best. And she will worry just as much about Hesperos while we are away." Antoni's younger sibling Hesperos and Alysa were married shortly after Antoni and I. He continued, "Our mothers will take care of both of you while we are gone. All will be well, my wife, and when I return, we will soon celebrate the birth of our first child." His smile was radiant at that thought.
With my fears somewhat assuaged and my thoughts distracted by our baby, I beamed back at him, "About that, I decided that I would like to name the babe after my father, either Christos or Christa, depending on the gender."
He stood and pulled me into his strong arms. "I think that is an excellent idea. May he prosper in the House of Hades."
For a few moments, I reflected on the past year. Our relationship was not always easy since our two differing cultures sometimes led to disagreements and misunderstandings, but we learned to resolve our issues through conversation and compromise. Our devotion and love for each other always won out in the end, although the disagreements were sometimes resolved with physical love rather than solely vocal communion. Truthfully, that aspect of our relationship would probably always exist due to our mutually stubborn temperaments.
My heart swelled as I reminisced and I could not help but declare my thoughts aloud. "I love you, Antoni," I averred
"As I love you," he immediately responded before he pulled my blouse down to palm my breasts as he captured my mouth with his.
After our tongues had danced together, he pulled his head back to look me in the eye. "You are so beautiful, ta philata," he stroked my cheek and then his mouth descended on my nipple while his hands ghosted lovingly over my belly.
Growing impatient because my overly sensitive nipples were stirring my desire, I pulled his robe aside and ground my hand against his shaft which was swollen underneath his loin cloth. He groaned in response and quickly discarded both my blouse and skirt. His arms swooped down to to pick me up and take me to our sleeping quarters.
Laying me down on the kline, he disrobed while I rolled over to kneel on all fours. "Antoni, I need you now."
"Bella, I know. I need you too." His fingers stroked my wet folds briefly before he leaned his chest over me and began to massage my tender breasts. He slipped his manhood inside of me, causing us both to sigh in contentment.
After a second, he pulled back and began thrusting in and out, speeding up as our heartbeats likewise accelerated in our growing excitement. He sucked my neck and trailed his left hand down to massage where we were joined.
"My love," I gasped, "I'm so close." I reached one hand to massage my one lonely breast.
"Bella," he grunted between thrusts, "love … let … go."
He bit my shoulder, and I fell apart, falling forward on the kline as my sex shuddered in pleasure. After a few seconds, Antoni spilled his seed inside of me and fell forward, panting and spent from his own release.
Once we had our breath back, he pulled out of me and lay down on the kline, gathering me in his arms with my back firmly pressed into his chest. His hands moved to my belly, and he hummed in contentment.
The last words I heard before I drifted off to sleep were the words he said every night as I fell asleep in his arms: "Bella, ta philata."
Bella, my dearest. Bella, my love. Bella, my family. Bella, my wife. Bella, my life.
A/N:
Well, what the hell? It's about time that I got the courage to write a story! My mom taught Ancient History, and I was always regaled with stories about the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, etc …. Ancient Greece fascinated me the most though. Hope that you enjoyed it!
I had to take many liberties in creating this story since the culture is only really known through archaeology. I chose to intertwine myth and known reality. I hope that it comes off as believable…
Historical/Mythical References:
In the opening quote, 1) Lord Enyalios - in Greek mythology is generally a byname of Ares, the god of war, but sometimes is differentiated as a separate deity and 2) the Muses were goddesses that inspired literature and the arts. They were sometimes also seen as romantic figures. I used this quote because it points out that warriors (such as Antoni) can have a duality to their personalities.
ta philtata - one's nearest and dearest, dear ones, such as wife and children
Potnia Theron - "Mistress of the Animals"; an ancient title used by the Minoans to refer to the Goddess of the Hunt. Later this goddess was referred to as Artemis.
Bull dancing fresco – a painting found in the palace at Cnossos. I made up most of the stuff about the bull dancing. It's unknown if both females and males partook in the activity, or if they performed the act with actual live bulls at all. BTW there are some cool videos of Spanish bull dancers on youtube.
King Minos – likely a mythical king, he was the king at Cnossos when Theseus slayed the Minotaur
stin iyia mas – "to our health" in Greek. Yiamas is the shortened version.
Tale of Amor and Psyche – aka the Greek Myth of Cupid and Psyche. There's a great retelling of this myth by C.S. Lewis: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold.
Kline – the name for a bed in Ancient Greece, from klino (cause to lean), from which also the words clinic, clinical, and recline are derived
Minoans vs. Mycenaean – The Minoans are believed to have been a peaceful society that relied on trading. Their cities really did have running water and sewage systems. There is much speculation about their demise, but a leading theory is that the eruption at Thera (c. 1620 BC) and a subsequent battering of the island by large waves contributed to their downfall. The Mycenaean civilization was built upon a warrior aristocracy that conquered the weakened Minoans.
lawagetas - the leader of the army, aka Antoni. The role of king (wanaka) was separate in Mycenaean Greece, and he likely served as the military, judicial and religious leader, and he may have been considered as a divine leader.