Truth and Sparta (3 page)

“
Yes father,” she said. “I am sure you worry for nothing.
Besides, he will be gone soon.”

“
Still, do not approach him.” He smiled in the way that always
reassured her and she nodded.

She forgot
about the incident over the next few days as life carried on as
normal. She was on her way to see Della as she walked through the
village. Her mother had asked her to get some seeds from one of the
elderly women and Chara chose to simultaneously deliver a portion
of cheese from their goats which Della always seemed to enjoy.

She stopped in
her tracks as she walked around the corner of the street and found
the Spartan turning and looked her away. He didn’t look friendly,
but he didn’t look over aggressive either.

He was between
her and the way she needed to go to get to her friend’s house. What
was he doing there? Chara thought. Spartans never came to the
village, well that wasn’t true, they came to search for someone, or
to terrorise, but they came in numbers looking for dissidents or
troublemakers. They had burnt the village to the ground once, and
over the years they’d eliminated anyone with leadership qualities
amongst the ranks of the Helots. Young men were found murdered
somewhere in the fields, discarded and left for the birds to peck
at before anyone found them. But he was here alone—not that it
would really make a difference, he was more capable of destruction
than the whole village put together.

She considered
turning and walking back the way she’d come, or alternatively, she
could walk past him, ignore his presence and continue as she
intended to. It angered her that she would cower and change her
plans just because a Spartan happened to be in her path. It wasn’t
like they were engaging in meaningful discussion—she was just
walking past.

She mustered
her resolve and continued walking. The road was big enough that she
could comfortably walk past him. She felt a stab of uncertainty as
his eyes followed her again as she stepped closer, moving as far
away to the other side of the street as she could manage as she
approached him. He didn’t move to make way or to acknowledge her
passing.

Chara felt his
presence intensely—he was so big and foreign. His skin was golden
from many hours of sun and it complemented his golden hair, his
arms were knotted with muscles and sinew, and his legs were more
muscular than anyone she’d seen. He wasn’t someone who was
naturally a big barrel of a man—his size was from constant training
and strengthening. There was nothing soft about him and that
included the features of his face, his strong jaw and high
cheekbones complementing the straight brow.

“
What is your name?” he asked, his voice deep and commanding.
Chara faltered. She looked around to see if anyone was there to
help her. She felt a sense of panic, but also pride and defiance.
She hated that she was intimidated. He might be a soldier, but he
was just a man. He had no reason to harm her or to engage with her
for that matter. “Tell me,” he ordered.

“
Chara,” she said not making eye contact with him.

“
Chara,” her repeated. “A pretty name.”

“
Thank you,” she said and then kept moving. He made no attempt
to stop her. She could feel his eyes on her back. It was unnerving
the way he watched people, she decided—like a snake that tried to
mesmerize its victim. She wondered if she’d actually become
mesmerized if she looked in his eyes—she wasn’t going to take the
chance. She didn’t believe he’d actually inflict harm to her; she
hadn’t gotten that feeling, but he did pose a danger. His interest
may not be beyond how he normally looked at people, but she felt
the intensity of his attention.

She looked
back briefly as she walked around the corner of a building. He was
still there, silent and watching—completely unnerving her. She
exhaled a long ragged breath when he was out of sight. She almost
felt a bit light headed with the release of tension as she
continued to Della’s house. She decided she was not going to tell
anyone about it; it wasn’t as if something happened, she’d just
walked past a Spartan, so she wasn’t sure why she felt like she had
been in a dangerous situation.

Nicias watched
the girl walk around the corner. He could feel her fear like a
tangible presence. He could also see curiosity in her. He’d seen
her the other day; her form and face had attracted his attention.
Her hair had the same tawny color as her skin and her clothes
didn’t hide the slim waist and pleasing curves. Her smooth skin and
the full inviting lips had also not gone unnoticed.

It had been
much too long since he’d been with a woman—months of campaigning
left little time for such pursuits. He could always slake his
hunger on the Helot woman in his father’s house that had served his
needs when he was younger and visiting, but he wanted something
new. As if the gods had answered his prayers, she came along
sitting in the back of a cart, being hauled out before him like a
present.

He didn’t know
the Helots accompanying her—she was obviously one of them, which
excited him because that meant she was easily attainable. It would
be more difficult if she was the daughter of a free born, but she
was a slave and he could do whatever he wanted with her. Even
better had been the realisation that she looked like the people she
was with, which meant she was with her family and not married. It
wouldn’t have been a big impediment if she had been married, it
would just make things a little messier.

Her family
must have perceived the directions his thoughts were going because
they’d chased her away as fast as she’d arrived. He’d forgotten her
again, but she had crept back into his mind later that evening when
the night was growing quiet and the heat was dissipating, leaving
his body with the slow burn of pent up tension. He would have found
her then if he’d known where to; instead he’d just tried to will
away the restlessness in his body.

The
restlessness was still there in the morning and he had left the
house with no particular intention; perhaps just to survey the
state of his father’s land. His father was getting old and his
joints made it more difficult for him to get around his own estate.
He would help as much as he could, but his stay was short and he
would soon need to head back up to Attica to continue the war with
the cowardly Athenians who hid behind their walls.

He’d ended up
in the Helot village. The Helots were never friendly—base and drab
creatures on the whole. He had some awareness that he was seeking
the girl, and again the gods had thrown her in his path. She feared
him as she should. He had her name now, and he could get her
whereabouts easily if he wanted to. The servants at the house would
know where she was or they could find out for him without much
effort.

The rest of
the barley crop needed to be harvested, backbreaking work
compounded by the fact that they had to work in the evening as
well, where Chara was needed to keep the fires burning to provide
light. It wasn’t difficult work like the harvesting, but she was
extra tired today as she hadn’t received enough rest the last few
evenings. The sun was also beating down on them with force.

They would
have a short respite after the barley harvest before the next crop
needed to be sown. She looked forward to the short period in
between where they could rest and recuperate briefly; although here
was a good chance that they would just have to build the bridge
during the day as well. Chara hoped not, but knew better.

A small
cracking noise distracted her and she looked over to the edge of
the field where a man was sitting on a horse watching them. She was
surprised to see someone there, then grew apprehensive when she
noticed that it was Nicias.

She looked
around but no one else noticed the Spartan watching them. She
didn’t know what she was supposed to do, whether she was supposed
to acknowledge him in some way or to ignore him and return to her
work. She decided to ignore him and returned her attention to what
she was going.

When she
looked up a short time later, he was still there, like he was
waiting for something. She heard the rasping stop behind her and
she turned to see that her father had noticed him too, then her
brother.

Chara didn’t
know what to do, or what would happen next. She just waited to
follow her father’s lead. She watched as her father tentatively
returned to his work and Chara followed suit. She couldn’t hear her
brother doing so and was about to turn to him and tell him to work,
when the Spartan dismounted and started walking toward them. Chara
stopped again as did the rest of her family. Her father took a step
forward to meet the Spartan, but Chara stayed where she was. Nicias
was looking at her and ignoring her father.

“
Return to your home,” he ordered pointing at her father and
brother. They didn’t move and Chara searched out her father’s eyes.
“Now!”

“
If there would be something we could assist you with…” her
father started. He still hadn’t moved and the Spartan kept coming.
Chara didn’t know what to do. She could see the anger rising in her
brother and prayed for him not to do anything stupid. She could see
the Spartan’s sword in plain sight.

“
Father?” she said with uncertainty. Her father hesitated—she
could see him trying to think of something to do, while her brother
stance got more menacing. She knew her brother was getting ready to
fight, but Chara knew that none of them could take on the Spartan
and survive. He was fully in his right to kill them if they defied
him, and even if they managed to subdue him, there would be dire
consequences for them. There was nothing her father could do and
she knew it.

“
It’s alright,” she said, trying to assure her father. “Go.”
Her brother did not look like he was going to back down and Chara
tried to non-verbally plead with him. Her father pulled him away by
the arm, he wasn’t willing to go, but finally relented. Chara was
relieved when they finally walked across the field toward their
house, until she realized that she was now alone with
him.

Chara felt her
heart in her throat. She wasn’t exactly sure what would happen, but
the Spartan was waiting for them to leave. He stepped closer and
she had to watch herself not to take a step back. He moved closer
still and she lowered her eyes to the ground. She felt his gaze on
her form and held her breath. He was so large compared to
her—compared to any man she knew.

She gave a
start as he stroked the tip of her nose with his finger. She didn’t
understand what he was doing, if he was testing her in some
way.

“
You are very pretty,” he said in his deep voice. Chara didn’t
know what to say or even if she could trust her voice to hold. “The
world can be cruel with pretty girls being few and far between. Are
you innocent?”

She didn’t
know how to answer—whether he would leave if she answered yes, or
maybe he would be disgusted if she said no. She decided to answer
truthfully. Men knew and he would know if she lied, which meant
there may be consequences later. She had to do whatever she had to
in order to ensure there were no consequences. It was the
consequences that they feared above all else. Spartans were known
to be spiteful when they wanted to and she might be putting her
family at risk if she lied.

“
No. I was married.” She didn’t dare look up at him. He stroked
the skin of her bare arms, gently moving his warm, strong hands up
to her shoulders. She could feel callouses on his palms and she
couldn’t help her skin prickling at the touch.

“
Good,” he said. Chara tried not to tremble, but she couldn’t
help it. Her fear was overwhelming for a second but she pulled
herself together. She wasn’t a child and she knew full well what
was on his mind. There was nothing to fear—it would be no different
from how it had been with her husband. She would have to yield and
he would do what he wanted—this was no different.

The Spartan’s
hand moved up to her face and he stroked her cheek with the pad of
his thumb. It moved down to stroke her lips, putting enough
pressure on her lower lip so it gave slightly under his touch. It
was a very intimate touch. Chara didn’t know what to do with
herself or her hands, but that seemed to be her common feeling
throughout.

He stepped
even closer now and she could hear his breathing getting heavier as
his body came flush against hers. She felt his thighs against hers,
and her chest just touching his abdomen.

“
You will be mine now,” he said and Chara looked up at him. His
eyes were blue like the sky. She didn’t understand what he
meant—whether he meant this day, or he could have meant something
more. She didn’t know their ways well, but she knew they took
lovers as they pleased.

His hand was
at the back of her head, holding her steady as he leant down and
kissed her. His lips were soft and the kiss was light.
Surprisingly, she didn’t feel as distressed as she thought she
would, perhaps because he was being gentle, at least so far.

His other hand
squeezed her to him. She felt the hard muscles of him, and every
taut plane of his body. His hands moved to her bottom and he lifted
her up along his body, kissing her deeper. She didn’t exactly
return the kisses, but neither did she fight. Her husband hadn’t
liked kissing her, so this was different as the Spartan clearly
relished it. She could feel the hardness of him between her thighs
now. He liked it a great deal.

He lay her
down on the ground and tugged her tunic up. She couldn’t quite
believe this was happening to her. Again, she didn’t know what to
do with herself or where to look. He might get angry if she looked
at him. On the other hand, she was a little curious. She felt quite
detached from the whole act.