A/N Okay, so this first chapter is basically the back story of my main character, Sophia. I have been influenced by other Greek stories to write this, so we'll just see how this turns out. I apologize for my horrible interpretation of how people might have spoken back then.
With that,
Enjoy!
My mother used to tell me stories when I was a child, to make me go to sleep. Tales of gods and goddesses that ruled from the heavens; of wondrous beings and magical creatures that roamed the forests. Some accounts were of love stories and others were of triumph. Tales that were spun more beautifully than the finest shroud in all of Athens, for my mother was a gifted story-teller. Every night I would pray to Lord Zeus that I might one day see these accounts for myself.
We lived in a grand house, in the city of Athens. My father was a general and came from a long line of wealth. I had several lovely dresses and many trinkets that adorned my room. I was an only child and quite lonely. Our few servants were all much older than I and not friendly.
It was not until the middle of my eighth summer, that I realized that not all stories had happy endings like the ones my mother told. My father was called to battle and left my mother and I.
Not long after, several men requested lodgings in our house and because hospitality was a highly valued virtue, my mother agreed. Eventually our slaves earned enough money to buy their freedom and my mother let them go. I took on all the housework: cooking, cleaning, looking after our guests, etc. I did not complain.
For six summers, the numbers of the men staying in our house grew and I continued slaving over them. My mother grew tired and overworked and every now and then, I would turn over in my blankets at night and hear her weep for my father. He had not returned. Not yet.
I must commend my mother's cleverness. I was right to guess that the men in our house were not there because they needed lodgings, but because they wanted to marry my mother. She had deceived them so far with intelligent illusions that my father was still alive, such as fake messages or gifts from him that implied his well-being.
However, there was one small problem that my mother over looked until one "guest" made a comment about it.
"How old is your daughter there?" A guest said in the early morning.
The heat had already begun to seep in my pores and push beads of sweat down my forehead as I viciously scrubbed a filthy tunic. I listened carefully to the conversation across the room.
"I believe she'll be fourteen summers next full moon. Though, she does not yet possess the gift of a woman."
That night, just before bed, I asked my mother softly, "Why do you suppose it is that I have not yet become a woman?"
"Girls develop at their own pace; you will become a woman when your body is ready."
"But I am ready now; my body simply refuses to allow it." I sighed as my mother softly braided my hair.
There was silence for a few moments before my mother turned me to face her. "When you come of age, I want you to understand how serious it is that you tell me right away. I do not want you to be married off to one of these men. I will send you to your Aunt Apollina's house, just until you find someone worthier to marry."
I hardly slept that night; I was terrified of waking up and finding the unmistakable red stain of womanhood.
A fortnight later, I awoke in the middle of the night to intense pain. My stomach felt as though it were being torn apart from the inside out. I carefully moved the blankets aside and moved over to the wash basin. I lit a candle to see by and splashed my face with water before heading back to bed.
I froze where I stood.
There, in plain sight, was a small red stain. I looked down to see that my thin dress was sporting a similar stain.
I ran to my mother shaking her from her sleep.
"Sophia, what is the matter?" But I only stepped away for her to see my dress before she bolted upright in her bed.
My mother had me wash my face and change my dress before throwing a thick, dark shawl over my head and shoulders that draped to the floor. Leading me quietly out to the stable, my mother reminded me of the directions to my aunt's house.
"Don't forget, you must stay on the main road. Only leave it if there is danger and if you should leave the road, go into the forest and pray that the gods look upon you with mercy. Go now child."
I sat most unladylike upon the horse and held on firmly. Steering him to the road that my mother had mentioned, I pulled the shawl tightly around me. We went along at a comfortable gallop till the sun began to rise, shining on my face and warming my cold body. We rode the whole day, only stopping to rest once. Soon enough night came again, falling like a blanket over our eyes.
At one point, I must have fallen into a light sleep, because at some time in the night I awoke to loud voices up ahead. Voices of men.
Scared of being revealed, I carefully yet swiftly directed my horse into the thick forest alongside the road. Some branches were too low for me to ride comfortably, so I slid off the top of the horse, but in the process, my shawl fell from around my head. I let go of the reins to pick it up and wrap it around me but my horse seemed to sense freedom and therefore took off in the direction of the men approaching. I could see them clearer now: some were on foot and some were on horses. All appeared to have had too much un-watered wine.
Now that they saw my horse, they seemed to become interested in going my direction. Just as I had found a clear opening in the bushes, I could hear the men approaching. Scared now, I stumbled through the trees and bushes.
I ran until there was no more breath in my lungs and no more energy in my legs. I collapsed by a tree trunk in the silence of the night, the terror of the chase still fresh in my veins. My eyelids began to feel heavy as my stomach growled.
Just as I began to drift into unconsciousness, I saw briefly what looked like a glowing man. A glowing man with hair gold as the sun and eyes the color of the sky.
A/N ....Hmmm.... I wonder who that mysterious man who resembles the sun is.....
