Author's Notes: Okay, chapter 2. This chapter takes place in the past, as I mentioned before.
Thanks to all that reviewed… make me feel special, you do! ^_^
See chapter 1 for disclaimers, explanations, etc.
See end of this chapter for translations of any foreign words.
Chapter 2: Never Again
The village of Aurel was nothing if it wasn't homey. The sights and sounds were enough to put anyone in a state of absolute bliss. On any given day, one could hear children laughing; could smell flowers blooming; could feel the warmth of the sun on their face. Yes, the tiny village was cozy and comfortable, and to the Romani people - it was home. Every face was a familiar one, and every conversation was a friendly one. After all, they had to stick together; the gypsies weren't well-thought-of among the British.
One teenaged boy of the village was very little-known, however. Fifteen years old, Marin was well on his way to adulthood, though he might as well already have reached it, given his childhood. His father had died well before his time; Marin had been only three, then, and he didn't remember the man very well. His mother was a beautiful woman by the name of Camelia. She had raised him herself, and, when he was old enough, he did everything that his father once had. He chopped wood, cared for the livestock, repaired the house, and did countless other things for his mother. It was due to this that he barely had time for anything else.
He had no friends that he had grown up with, nor anybody his age to talk to. All he had was Camelia, and that suited him fine.
And so it was that one bright afternoon, Marin finished his work earlier than usual, and had gone out to the meadow to pick flowers. His mother adored them, and he always liked to surprise her now and again. He hummed to himself as he worked. He could swear he'd heard the song somewhere, but he couldn't remember where, nor could he recall whether or not there were words to go with the tune. Once his woven basket was filled to the brim with blossoms, he started back toward the village.
The meadow in which he had been was located about half an hour to the east of Aurel, over the crest of a large hill. It wasn't until after Marin had climbed to the top of this hill that he realized something was terribly wrong.
At first, he'd smelled the smoke, but he saw none, and guessed that it must have been closer to midday than he had thought. He decided the villagers must be cooking, and thought of it no more. But as he approached the hill, he knew that it wasn't a cooking fire that he smelled... it was an inferno. He broke into a run, his mind racing. 'It can't be...'
As he reached the crest of the hill, he stopped dead in his tracks. The basket of flowers fell to the ground, forgotten. Marin stared at the site before him, unable to believe what he was seeing. A split second later, he was tearing down the hill at a full sprint, his heart pounding in his ears. Aurel was being attacked... that was the only explanation: the British had discovered them, and now they were burning his home to the ground.
He wasted no time rushing through the burning village. He could hear the voices of the soldiers, shouting to each other whenever they found one of Marin's people - could hear his people screaming for mercy. He kept on, however. He had to reach his house in time. Out of all the thoughts rushing through his head, one took precidence over all others: "Daj..." he whispered; his blood ran cold at the thought of not getting to his mother in time.
His small house came into view, and he nearly collapsed then and there. The thatch roof was alight, the fence had been crushed, and one of the walls had collapsed. The animals were missing; no doubt they were being brought back with the soldiers. Marin refused to give up hope just yet, though, and with that in mind, he dashed inside, heedless of the danger.
It didn't take long for him to find Camelia; she was right where he had left her. Only now, instead of sitting at the kitchen table as she had been at the time, she was crushed beneath the collapsed wall. It took all of Marin's willpower not to scream.
"Daj," he whispered, kneeling on the floor beside her. "Daj, why?" He wasn't expecting a reply, and he jumped when he recieved one.
"...you must go..."
Marin stared at his mother - hard. Had he imagined it? She couldn't be alive... could she? "...Mother...?"
"Marin... they mustn't find you here... you must go..."
"But you're alive! I cannot just leave you here..."
"My time... is over, Marin..."
He grabbed her hand, desperately. "You can't say that! I-I'll get you out of here, somehow... w-we'll escape..."
"No, Marin." He opened his mouth to protest. "NO. You... must listen... there isn't much time..." she squeezed his hand, and he noticed something hard there. "You must go... to the port... you must... leave this place as soon as you can... do not let them catch you..." she was struggling to breathe. Camelia pressed the object she was holding into her son's hand. "Take... this..." she said softly. "I wanted... to wait... until you were... older... but..."
Marin opened his hand and stared in shock at what she had given him. What he beheld was a shining gold ring with an impossibly large emerald set into its band. "Daj..."
"I... love you... Marin... you are... a wonderful son..." Marin tried to look at her through tear-filled eyes.
"I love you too, Mother," he murmured, pressing his lips to the back of her hand, even as the soldiers' voices began to get louder. They were checking the houses, Marin knew. "Ashlen Devlese, Romale..." he told her, and her eyes drifted closed. She was gone.
He slipped the ring onto his right index finger, and stood. He heard a crash as the roof of a nearby house caved in, and knew he was out of time. With one last prayer for his mother, he turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him; out the back door, through the smouldering ruins of Aurel, and out into the open moor. At the top of the hill, he paused and turned. He stood watching the hateful black smoke curl into the sky, and said one final goodbye to his - former - home. And then he was off once more.
Never again would he hear the children of the village laughing and playing. Never again would he see those familiar faces. And, he realized, a tear finally journeying down his face, never again would he see Camelia's eyes light up as he presented her with a gift of flowers.
Never again.
~~~
End Notes: Phew! Okay, time to clear up some confusion:
Romani = gypsies; I believe that they call themselves Romani. They weren't very well-liked in England during the 17th century, which is when the movie took place. So I figure they were in hiding.
Daj = Mother
Ashlen Devlese, Romale = may you remain with God
The above were taken from: www.miniclan.org/pathrell/romany
Camelia = Jack's mother's name – it's Romanian for "flower" from: www.20000-names.com/female_romanian_names
Marin = Jack's former name – it's Romanian for "from the sea" from: www.20000-names.com/male_romanian_names
Aurel = the gypsy village in my fic – it's Romanian for "golden" from: www.20000-names.com/male_romanian_names
I don't rightly know whether or not Romani people *I.E. gypsies* live in Romania… they're difficult to research, let me tell you.
Yes, I made Jack a gypsy. *grins* Think about it; all the beads and braids in his hair, the way he dresses with the sash around his head and his waist… he dresses very gypsy-ish, according to what I read at: westwood.fortunecity.com/armani/208/costume
Questions? Comments? Death threats? *snicker* Leave 'em in your review! Flames will be saved and used as public entertainment.