"By the Gods!" Adrastos pushed his white hair backwards trying to keep it still. "Look at this mess!" He stood in the door way to the kitchen looking at the disaster in the back yard. The stacks of hay were scattered everywhere outside the barn and some of the tools were hit to the ground. He could barely keep the door open. He retreated inside and the door slammed behind him.
"No, you are not!"
"What woman?'
"You are not taking a step more with all the sand on you! I'm not feeding the kids with sand you crazy old man!"
"What are you talking about woman? Is just a few grains! When I was their age I aet fruits off the ground and never got sick! You protect them too much! They'll never make it this way!"
"Ah shut up and shake it off you or you're eating on the door step today!"
"What's going on?" Aalexia's sweet voice stopped the quarrel. She looked around while putting the apron on. She couldn't have worn anything less attractive than what she had on. But she couldn't care less. Wool may not look expensive but it kept warm and didn't break easily.
"Have you seen what's outside?"
"I have Adrastos!" she wasn't happy with it, but then again there was nothing she could do about it. "Let it be. It's how the Gods want it. Stay here with Adelia and make sure the kids stay inside too! We'll lose them if they go out in the whirl! I'll go feed the animals and check the yard!"
"Let me help you!" The voice behind her took her by surprise. With all the bad weather and her many thoughts she had almost forgotten about her guests. Hector was standing in the door way and he gave her shock. Her sight must've become poorer in time because she did not remember him to be so tall, nor so handsome. The day light changed her indecent thoughts about him in pure nightmares.
His black hair swept down in curls to his shoulders, strapped in leather straps and metal pins, falling gently around the powerful neck muscles. His tanned skin matched beautifully the deep black eyes and the black beard. Men rarely shaved like this. Either they ha long beards or none at all. His was somewhere in the middle, made her want to touch it. And what a pair of sensual lips, perfectly contoured under the trimmed beard. He outran her visibly, with his broad shoulders and imposing stature. It must've been a while now that she was staring. She hated herself for it, but she didn't regret it.
"Ahhhh… no, it's terrible outside!"
"Child, what are you saying! She is so skinny! Eat more I tell her but she won't listen! The wind will blow her off her feet! Do be kind My Lord and help her out!" Adrastos was not helping.
"Don't worry Adrastos. I won't let her off my sight!" Now that was not reassuring for her. He put his hood on and so did she, but Aalexia still dreaded having him help her with her choirs.
He opened the door and she sneaked outside keeping close to the wall of the house. He caught up with her covering her partially with his body trying to keep her away from the wind. She couldn't make out much of what was going on because of the sand being blown in all directions. She put some tools back on the way to the stables then went to the barn and loaded in a small cart two sacs of grains. Hector grabbed the cart and pushed it to the stables leaving her behind to care for the chickens.
"Where is the water? We should give some to the horses!" Hector yelled trying to cover the howling.
"There is a well in the garden, but I am not sure how we can lift the lid! There's probably sand all over it!" Aalexia tried too look at him while talking but it was difficult. She wasn't even sure if she heard.
"Let's try. They look thirsty. Guide me!" Aalexia moved forward to the back of the house. Soon they found the lid and indeed it was covered with sand, but Hector grabbed on the ropes and pulled up. The handles moved but the lid didn't. Aalexia kneeled and started cleaning feverishly the lid with her hands. Hector pulled one more time putting all his force into it and the massive lid finally moved. But he couldn't lift it all that high. Aalexia looked at him. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"Wait! I have an idea!" But the way he looked at her told her he did not understand. She got up and leaned towards him.
"I'll get a lever to put it underneath!"
"A what?" Their faces were so close and yet the words got lost in the vortex around them. A gash of wind blew in Aalexia's back pushing her into him. Hector freed his hands immediately and caught her in his arms. His hood fell off and now, eyes closed he hid his face in the air coming from underneath her hood. Aalexia ignored his arms around her and stretched forward to get hood back on. The layers of clothing were pushed forcefully aside by the ill-intended wind and she had a hard time pulling it back o. She finally managed it, but by the end of it they looked like they had been swept through a sea of sand and then tossed in a stack of hay. Aalexia grabbed the bindings to the hood and held tight, while Hector tried to keep hers in place with his forehead, keeping her so close that you couldn't say there were two people in that jostle of material. She tiptoed yelling in his ear:
"I'll get a lever!" He let go of her hood turning is head around to see her. Now she realized how close they were. The force of the wind or the force of his arms around her did not make a difference. She just knew she was pinned to him and couldn't be pushed around by the blasts. If it weren't for that wretched wind than she could actually enjoy his face from so close!
She let go and turned away. Hector was taken by surprise and didn't get a chance to stop her. In a minute she vanished in thin air.
"Aalexia!"
Minutes passed by and no sign of her. Soon though he could see her tinny silhouette in the storm. She looked like she was fighting an army! Hector reached for her. She showed him the lever and then he tried again. This time the lid came off higher and she managed to stick the lever and keep it open. Then hurried at Hector's side and they both pulled on the ropes. The lid came off completely but right when they wanted to stop one of the rope snapped and they both fell on their backs. The sand invaded their nostrils and mouths and Hector hurried to gather her from the ground, get the water and leave to the stables before they were left breathless and the sand went to deep in the well.
They finished quickly and ran back inside the way they came out. The kitchen seemed a heavenly place after such a rush.
"What's that smell?" Adelia turned around staring at Adrastos.
"Why are you looking at me!"
"Well, who else?"
"Woman!"
Aalexia looked around as she felt it too. Then she saw Hector's clothes. A big brown blot covered his entire back. She got close; horse manure! Her eyes widened and then she backed off. His beautiful blue hood… Hector watched her than turned around to see himself.
"Oh… I am the lucky winner!"
Aalexia couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, trying to cover her mouth and look ore decent about it. But at no avail. Adrias had joined her and so did Adrastos.
"Thank you!" Hector seemed amused himself.
"Ah don't worry about young master, a little hot water and you'll be just fine! I'll have the bathtub ready in no time!"
"Thank you!" Hector took the hood off and threw it in a corner. Aalexia took her father's hood from behind the kitchen door and gave it to him.
"It's not much but it should the job!" She smiled when he handled it to him.
Hector looked at her mildly and put it on.
"I have to go back to the stables! I will be right back"
Aalexia didn't have the time to ask why. When he came back he brought the lentil with him.
"We promised Adrastos a lentil soup. So here it is!"
Aalexia rose from the fireplace and took the small bags of lentil. Adelia was cheerful and rushed to wash it and get ready.
"It looks like you'll be joining us for lunch too!" Hector and Adrias smiled.
The kids busted in the room with wooden swords attacking the king's soldiers. Adrias plaid the game and soon they were all over the house. Hector was happy to just sit in his corner watch the women get launch ready. Aalexia shinned in the fire light and her rosy cheeks blushed more with the heat from the hot ashes.
They lay the table on and little by little they forgot about the storm raging outside, laughing over a steaming bawl of soup.
"Why don't you come to Troy with us. New merchants have come and we could help you get a good price on goods." Hector tried to put it as mildly as he could without offending her. He saw they were short of money. They were short of almost everything.
"That's very kind of you, but I cannot leave just like this. As you have probably seen, there are not many men to keep the place safe and we need to be vigilant. I usually send Adrastos and a few others to do the shopping while I stay home."
"And what could you do against an attack?"
"You'd be surprised…" Aalexia smiled more to herself.
""Them kids always stealing from the garden! The soil is barren enough, it takes a whole season of hard work and irrigation to make anything grow there… and then they come to take it!" Adrastos burst with anger.
"But we've managed!" Aalexia tried to reassure him and the others. Hector watched her for a little and observed the worry in her eyes, even though she was good at dissimulating it.
"I understand… I guess desperate situations call for desperate measures, and humans are good at improvising!"
"This laddie here surely is!" Adrastos nodded towards Aalexia who smiled embarrassed.
They soon finished lunch and before long the storm calmed down. The time came for her guests to get ready for their journey back to Troy.
"My Lady we cannot thank you enough for your generosity!" Adrias bowed and held her hand to his forehead.
"Glad to be of service. We apologies for not having more…"
"It was more than we needed!" His voice took all her attention. Hector took her hand and held her tight for a short moment. Enough to take the sleep away from her for the following nights. She could only nod and follow them as they slowly disappeared along the coast.
