Disclaimer: Must we go through this again...IT'S NOT MINE!!
Quick Thank yous:
Sincerely in Blood- Thanks for the compliment! And yes, he is and always will be our Hero. Got wood??
Artemis de Luna- Nice penname and thanks for the review!
chiefhow- Thanks for the review! Yes, Ganis is interesting and very fun to write, so I gave him a small role. And about the whole Guinivere/Fulcinia situation, they explain it a bit in the novelization, but it definitely deserved a little bit more elaboration. Thanks again!
Elvenstar5- Thanks for the review!
Sorry this took so long to update. It just has not been a good week and I haven't found myself with much free time to write...
Chapter Two- The First of Many
"Mornin' Maili!" A cheerful man called.
Maili inclined her head in greeting and then went to work. As Maili reaped in the grain, she tried to keep one eye on the guards. She knew Gallius was the easiest target, but she wasn't sure if he was the smartest. If he was well liked by other Roman soldiers, or Marius himself, his death would not be forgotten. After she was satisfied that he was the smartest target( she had seen him being mocked numerous times throughout the day), she turned her concentration back to how she was to slip into the tiny village before the soldiers thought to come to search the village for answers. Being woad, she had great skill when it came to stealth, but there were villagers who didn't exactly welcome her and Guinivere, and they would grab at the chance to have her placed in the hut as well. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice Horace, the head elder, approach her.
"Thank you Maili!" his voice boomed, ripping Maili violently from her thoughts.
"Of course Horace." She said, off handedly.
"If you'll just give me the grain I can..." he began, but Maili thrust the bag into his hands. She hadn't realized how many hours had passed, and if everything was to go according to plan she had to be at the edge of the woods soon. Maili was about to leave when she noticed two of the Roman guards coming to collect their share of the grain.
"You better have our share of the grain today." One of them hissed at Horace. Horace just nodded and pointed to where they had everything collected. The guards went and took over ¾ of what they had worked so hard to collect that day. They left the elders, already skin and bones, with barely enough grain for one person, let alone a hut full. Maili's hatred was showing openly upon her face; there was only one thing she hated more than Roman soldiers, and that was Roman soldiers who abused their power.
She took a step forward in order to block the guard's path when Horace spoke, "Can't we keep more of it? We work all day to collect it and you don't leave me enough to feed even my wife."
"Well let's ask the master, Marius." The guard replied snidely. All the elders gasped and Horace just looked at them sadly. They knew what was coming. Maili stayed rooted to the spot. If Marius got angry enough, he would go for his favorite punching bag, Fulcinia. Then all hope for Guinivere would be lost. The guard disappeared behind the wall and the other guards stayed keeping a close eye on Horace.
How far do they think an old man is going to get, Maili thought, Stupid Romans.
The guard returned, bearing a malicious smile and a whip in hand. Maili was relieved, but at the same time disgusted. If Marius was having this man beat, he would be satisfied and would not go looking for Fulcinia, but it was low, even for Romans, to beat an old man.
"Still want more of your grain?" The soldier asked pompously.
"Just enough to feed..." Horace began, but the guard did not give him a chance to answer, as he brought the whip down hard upon his back. Horace cried out in pain and his wife, Fidella, began to weep. Maili, however, remained unmoving, not letting a single emotion or sound escape her. The Roman continued whipping Horace, the guards around him smiling in a sickeningly pleasured way. Horace had stopped making any noise, and the guard lost the enjoyment of the whipping.
"Chain him up. Let him be an example to the others." He said matter-of-factly. The other guards nodded and began dragging Horace roughly over to the chains dangling from a pole. Fidella's sobs grew louder and the other elders went to comfort her. Maili glanced at them, her gaze cold, and then turned and slipped quietly into the forest. She climbed a tree about 30 feet off from the entrance of the gate. She spotted Gallius nearing arrow range and she notched an arrow. She waited for the perfect shot and then let the arrow go with a loud "twang". The arrow was true to its mark, lodging itself in the upper calf of Gallius' right leg. It bore a hole straight through. Gallius let out a loud cry of pain, and continued to cry as a few of the guards dragged him away from the wall. Maili quickly descended the tree and melted further into the woods, before the guards even reached the edge of the forest.
Maili entered her hut unnoticed, as most of the villagers had gone to check out what the commotion at the wall was. She smiled as she set her bow and quiver, one dagger, and her sword in their respective places. She knew Gallius would suffer a slow painful death. The healers at the wall were terribly inept and they would not heal a hole in the calf, but simply allow him to suffer for the next few hours, or possibly even a day. Revenge upon the Romans always put Maili in a good mood, so she decided to venture to the river, and possibly bathe.
Maili arrived at the river and knelt down splashing the cool water upon her face. She relished the feeling and then quickly stripped of her tunic and leggings before slipping into the river. She took her time bathing and then quickly threw on her garments and settled herself on the bank of the river to watch the night sky. She smiled; it had been a while since she'd had the chance to kill a Roman. As Maili gazed at the stars she heard a faint noise from behind her. Maili stood slowly and turned around; she could see the faint outline of a woman in the distance. She sighed, realizing it was just Fulcinia.
"Did everything go well?" Maili asked.
Fulcinia nodded and looked at Maili. Maili could see the worry on her face. She just smiled.
"Don't fear." She said confidently, "They do not suspect me."
"I know." Fulcinia said slowly, "It is just I can not shake this foreboding feeling." Maili nodded. She, too, had felt odd the past day, but had just chosen to ignore it. Silence reigned for a while as Fulcinia stooped near the edge of the river and scooped water up to her face.
"I believe I can sneak from the wall with out the help of your distractions from now on." Fulcinia said softly. Maili was slightly taken a back.
"How are you going to leave with out a distraction?" Maili finally managed.
"I'm not sure, but I do not want Roman soldiers dying." She said.
"You're trying to protect them." Maili hissed maliciously, "They deserve slow, painful deaths."
"No one deserves that! Especially men who are loyal to..." Fulcinia began, but Maili cut off her sentence right there.
"How dare you call them loyal! The only person they are loyal to are themselves! They take what they see fit and try to quiet what gets in their way!" Maili hissed.
"They only seek to conquer what will benefit their empire. And they follow orders given to them." Fulcinia countered.
"Yes they take orders. Orders to beat and torture the innocent! And most find pleasure in it. They sometimes are no better than Saxons." Maili bit out. Fulcinia did not respond. It's not that she thought Maili's words were true; she was just confused on why Maili thought such things. Did all woads think such things?
While Fulcinia had been lost in thought, Maili had retreated back to her hut. She was sick of Roman drabble. All they did was make excuses for each other. She found it sickening. She found everything about Rome sickening. Maili let out an exasperated sigh as she flopped ungracefully on to the small cot in her room. She fell slowly into a sleep haunted with nightmares.
Question: Should I change the name of the story? And if you say yes, have you got any suggestions? I'll send Tristan in a box to anyone that answers!
Well what did you think? Let me know in one of those little things we authors like to call REVIEWS!!!!!