Page 1
Elu was in need of restocking her plant supply after a long Cold spell.
She prepared herself a pack, planning to be out for a while. She was really low
on supplies and this would be a good time to resupply. Finally ready, she looks
about the small cottage she had built two years ago herself. It wasn’t much,
but it was home. She stepped out the door and looked over the peaceful glen
she’d come across two years ago in her wanderings after her mother’s death.
Up in the beginnings of the Highlands of Celtic lands, the valley was no more than a quarter of a mile long ad half that across. On one end was the only way in or out, and opposite it was a waterfall. The small river created by the falls ran along the far rock wall of the meadow and exited at the other end close to the entrance. Her cottage was situated in a break in the small copse that grew there. The wall that rose up on this side was the back wall of her cottage. The trees surrounding it to either side and even partially in front, leaving enough of a gap that lead to her door.
After a good long look to imprint the place in her memory, she gave a soft sad smile and started walking towards the exit of the dale. The valley dumped out into a vast forest. When Elu first had come this way, it had taken her several days to get through and find her glen. She traveled at a leisurely pace, really in no hurry. She had nowhere and nothing pressing to worry about after all. And she enjoyed these moments of travel. It could get very boring stuck in one place by oneself.
She moved in a generally south direction for the day, reflecting on the old stories of the forest, which had been one of her reasons for entering the place two years ago. Hated by her own people for being so different from them, she escaped to the forest that kept most at bay for fear of the Fey creatures that were said to dwell within. Elu couldn’t say she had seen proof of such in the past two years. But who knew, perhaps they were around and just figured one lone Witch wasn’t all that important.
Up in the beginnings of the Highlands of Celtic lands, the valley was no more than a quarter of a mile long ad half that across. On one end was the only way in or out, and opposite it was a waterfall. The small river created by the falls ran along the far rock wall of the meadow and exited at the other end close to the entrance. Her cottage was situated in a break in the small copse that grew there. The wall that rose up on this side was the back wall of her cottage. The trees surrounding it to either side and even partially in front, leaving enough of a gap that lead to her door.
After a good long look to imprint the place in her memory, she gave a soft sad smile and started walking towards the exit of the dale. The valley dumped out into a vast forest. When Elu first had come this way, it had taken her several days to get through and find her glen. She traveled at a leisurely pace, really in no hurry. She had nowhere and nothing pressing to worry about after all. And she enjoyed these moments of travel. It could get very boring stuck in one place by oneself.
She moved in a generally south direction for the day, reflecting on the old stories of the forest, which had been one of her reasons for entering the place two years ago. Hated by her own people for being so different from them, she escaped to the forest that kept most at bay for fear of the Fey creatures that were said to dwell within. Elu couldn’t say she had seen proof of such in the past two years. But who knew, perhaps they were around and just figured one lone Witch wasn’t all that important.
Elu was meeting someone, unfortunately it was not a Fey.
Julius Septimus was marching across the mist in the woods together with five fellow comrades, the last remnant of what was once the Roman Army in Germania. The troubled man leading the small column was born in Rome out of the finest families, which explained certain noble features in his life and manners: educated in a small academia in Rome, Julius Septimus learned how to read and write in Latin and Greek. He continued to worship the ancient Pagan gods in spite of the growing power of Christianity.
His ancient traditions also required him to be trained as a soldier, actually as a general. Julius learned how to ride a horse in a battle, how to hold and use a short Roman sword, how to orientate himself based on the stars, how to build war machines. His life would have been comfortable if the times were different: for the standards of the Roman Empire, he was quite a refined man and somehow rich.
As his country was losing battle after battle, the growing shortage of men forced them to recruit earlier. Just six years earlier, by the age of 19, Julius was sent to combat as a commander in the Northern German border, where the Celtic influence had not yet been surpassed by the Germans. In spite of all the difficulties, Julius managed to win some battles and gain some time for his Rome. His name was already becoming a legend by the age of 22.
By the age of 24, something terrible happened to his life, which would shape his personality dramatically. The Fates did not spare him: a group of raiders came from the other side of the border and killed his wife and his twin kids were enslaved while Julius was fighting somewhere else. Some weeks later, when Julius returned to his home, he got shocked. To make things worse, what Julius believed to be a nymph came and told him it was his fault: either because he was a bastard, or because he was not at home when necessary. Regretting his sins, he turned from a hero, acclaimed by the people, into the bloodiest person in the Roman army, feared by everyone, specially his subordinates.
When Julius turned 25, Rome no longer and his past of victories turned meaningless under the Barbarian rule. Nevertheless, he continued to feel guilty for what he could not have controlled. Everything he knew suddenly seemed to be useless. The year was 476. Rome was collapsing everywhere and all he had fought for was completely pointless.
And Elu was right on Julius' way.
Julius Septimus was marching across the mist in the woods together with five fellow comrades, the last remnant of what was once the Roman Army in Germania. The troubled man leading the small column was born in Rome out of the finest families, which explained certain noble features in his life and manners: educated in a small academia in Rome, Julius Septimus learned how to read and write in Latin and Greek. He continued to worship the ancient Pagan gods in spite of the growing power of Christianity.
His ancient traditions also required him to be trained as a soldier, actually as a general. Julius learned how to ride a horse in a battle, how to hold and use a short Roman sword, how to orientate himself based on the stars, how to build war machines. His life would have been comfortable if the times were different: for the standards of the Roman Empire, he was quite a refined man and somehow rich.
As his country was losing battle after battle, the growing shortage of men forced them to recruit earlier. Just six years earlier, by the age of 19, Julius was sent to combat as a commander in the Northern German border, where the Celtic influence had not yet been surpassed by the Germans. In spite of all the difficulties, Julius managed to win some battles and gain some time for his Rome. His name was already becoming a legend by the age of 22.
By the age of 24, something terrible happened to his life, which would shape his personality dramatically. The Fates did not spare him: a group of raiders came from the other side of the border and killed his wife and his twin kids were enslaved while Julius was fighting somewhere else. Some weeks later, when Julius returned to his home, he got shocked. To make things worse, what Julius believed to be a nymph came and told him it was his fault: either because he was a bastard, or because he was not at home when necessary. Regretting his sins, he turned from a hero, acclaimed by the people, into the bloodiest person in the Roman army, feared by everyone, specially his subordinates.
When Julius turned 25, Rome no longer and his past of victories turned meaningless under the Barbarian rule. Nevertheless, he continued to feel guilty for what he could not have controlled. Everything he knew suddenly seemed to be useless. The year was 476. Rome was collapsing everywhere and all he had fought for was completely pointless.
And Elu was right on Julius' way.
Elu wandered for most
of the day. She made note of where certain herbs she wanted were for the return
trip. She planned to head to a place she knew where she could find most of what
she needed, and then gather what wasn't around on the way back. No sense in
loading herself down at the start of her journey. With night soon to descend in
a few hours, she started searching for a likely campsite.
After finding a spot, nestled in a blackberry bush, she set about gathering firewood. She also gathered wild onion and tubers. Returning, she went about making a fire pit. As she got the fire going and let it burn down enough for cooking, she pulled out a pot and her small knife. Cutting an onion and tuber into the pot, she added some dry meat and water. Both the fire and the pot ready for cooking, she set it at the edge of the fire to cook. She next went about setting up a place to sleep between the fire and the back side of the small circle of bushes, thus keeping the fire between herself and the way into her camp.
Stiring the pot now and again, it was soon ready for eating. She scooped some into her bowl. Then set the pot off to the side to cool and wait for morning. Settling onto her bedroll, she started to eat as she stared into the flames of her fire and reflected on her life as she was want to do.
The days following the Winter Solstice were short and cold. To make the weather gloomier, there was a thick mist nearly blinded the survivors for the task of walking ahead. It had been days since they last saw the sunlight and honestly, none of them knew whether the were heading towards Parisium, which was said to be one of the last cities resisting the Germanic invasion in the Roman Gaul. Conversation was limited to the essential and all of they were frightened with what could happen if they were marching into Germanic-controlled lands, wearing Roman uniforms. Their mood explained why all of them were marching quietly even without any direct order by their commander, stepping on the ground gently and avoiding any twig: none of them wanted to be found out, they wanted to find out.
Quietly, Julius prayed for Hecate, willing to have some light from her. Not only a clearer day did the Roman beg for, but also a brighter future, a guidance as to what to do. To the eyes of his men, he showed no hesitation, because the course of action seemed to be quite obvious. Nevertheless, deep inside, Julius was as lost as he was in that mist. A beacon of light was the most important thing for him in that moment.
Surprisingly, neither his eyes, nor his ears called his attention to the stranger nearby. It was his nose who warned Julius about the human presence: a minor sense, his nose inhaled the air brought by the very light breeze blowing from his right-hand side. His eyes turned to that direction and he saw a tiny fire, clouded by the mist, together with what seemed to be a human body sitting next to it. Julius waved at his men, pointed the fire and asked for silence.
From that place on, Julius walked with even more care. What if that was just one fire of an entire German tribe? What if it was a group of bandits? What if they were otherworldly creatures? Every care was required and he approached the human. Step by step, it became clearer that the human was a woman and that she was alone. Her back was facing Julius' group so that she could not see them coming. No apparent risk was involved in talking to the female stranger and getting some pieces of information. Nevertheless, as the distance grew shorter than 5 metres, the five men disobeyed him and swarmed around the woman, as if they were indiscipline legionnaires. One of them hit her head with the pommel of his sword, kicking the pot with food into a nearby tree.
That angered Julius.
He did not care whether the woman had been beaten or not. Julius knew that the next step would be to rape the woman. However, he was worried about the fact the man did not obey his commands. As the same legionnaire turned to the woman with lust in his eyes, Julius' leg kicked his belly, expelling all the air out f it.
"You fool! I had not ordered anything!", Julius spoke seriously with a thundering voice. "Now, clear up the mess and bring the food back to the woman", he ordered the undisciplined man. His idea was more to humiliate the man and teach him Julius was still in charge of that group, no matter how small it was. Somehow hesitatingly, the man complied with his orders: he cleared the mess and put the meat and roots into the pot. The times were hard and people would hardly despise some food just because it had fallen out of the pot. Julius took the pot from his hands harshly and while the others were starting to take advantage of the fire to cook their own meal without asking for the woman's permission, Julius kneeled next to the woman and handed the pot in.
"Take it. I think it it yours", Julius spoke in Latin, unsure whether she could understand anything. For the first time, his eyes laid on the woman wearing rags and he was voiceless for a second.
Elu heard a twig snap, but not in time to avoid the blow to the head with something hard. Dazed, she fell over, and it took her a few heartbeats to sort what had just happened. The thunderous voice is what finally brought her around. "You fool! I had not ordered anything!" "Now, clear up the mess and bring the food back to the woman" She blinked and started to lift herself up on one hand, her other gingerly touching her head, trying to find the extent of the damage. She blearily looked about and saw five, no wait, six men. One was putting her food back in the pot and she sighed. There went breakfast. At least the Forest Spirits would be happy.
Elu blinked and found one of the men near her holding out the pot. "Take it. I think it is yours" She blinked again and looked from him to the pot. When she looked back to him, there was a wary look in her eyes. She understood Latin all too well, her mother had taught it too her after all. Being alone, in the forest with six men, obviously Roman Legionnaires by their dress, she thought it might be best to feign ignorance. Frowning slightly, she hesitantly reached for the pot. She would test the waters, so to speak. She waited to see if he really would give her the pot.
The coldness and seriousness in Elu's face surprised Julius. After being attacked, every girl the Roman knew would be screaming, crying and frightened. Any help, even if coming from the enemy, would be more than welcome. Paradoxically, the female stranger remained calm and in control of herself, as if she feared nothing. Or at least, as if she knew that nothing should be feared. Julius' curiosity grew as a result of that. Momentarily, he wanted to brush her hair lock away, so that her face could be more easily examined - the penumbra prevented him from having a clear view of her face. He gave up the idea, since he lacked intimacy. For some reason, her face inspired an unexplainable feeling of respect.
Even so, what Julius saw surprised him after realizing how beautiful her face was. The Roman looked into her face attentively. She was gorgeous: her blonde hair seemed to be soft, her semblance reminded one of a nymph and her body was comparable to Venus'. To a certain extent, her face reminded him of his deceased wife. Luckily, none of the men had enough time to pay attention to that woman dressed in rags, otherwise Julius would have to fight to defend her.
The Roman tried to hide his amazement after a couple of seconds. Any experienced woman would have realized what Julius's feelings were. A silly face of admiration and perhaps some hidden lust in the mind. The female stranger could not know that what stroke him was far deeper than her raw beauty: one way or the other, Julius wanted to talk to her. He kept his hand firmly stretched and insisted roughly in the only way a military could do.
"Will you not take it back?", Julius spoke without much subtleties. He wore no smile - that was not the right way to gain the respect of any woman, he had already learned that. Instead, he took a very red apple from the bag tied to his belt and offered it to the female stranger. "Take it too", he added. Even though he did not expect to buy apologies for the rudeness of his men, Julius really wanted to start a conversation with the woman.
Snatching the pot from his outstretched hand, she hugged it close to her chest and stared at him. She waited to see what retaliation he would make now, or if his intentions were true. She did not even glance at the apple in his hand. Though such fruit was rare, she wasn't about to take it and somehow become indebted to him. The pot and the food within it was hers, so it was only right she took it back. The apple though, could become a dangerous gift.
While she waited to see what he would do next, she took the time to study him. Well built and muscular, he was clearly a warrior, his commanding attitude and tone though marked him as a Leader. His attire wasn't much different than her own, though of tougher make, hers just being the furs of animals she had caught for food and made by her. He wore a metal plumed helm, something not seen among the Celts who at most just had metal weapons, if they were lucky enough to have found them. What she could see of his features through that helm were not unhandsome, but more exotic to her eyes, used to seeing Celtic men as they were when she happened upon people.
Her head turned slightly, still keeping him in her vision and studied the other men with him. Unimpressed with their tidy but worn attire and appearance she watched them use her fire to cook upon. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she caught a whiff. They clearly were over cooking whatever it was, and had no idea how to use the abundance of the forest to give it a better smell and flavor than what it was presently giving off. Deciding they were occupied for now to not have to worry about another attack from them just yet, her features straightened back out and she turned back to the Roman beside her. She still gave no indication that she understood his words.
Her reluctance to accept his apple surprised him even more. In those famine days, refusing food was almost a sacrilege. Let alone if the food was a rare apple. Anyway, the surprise turned into admiration for that female stranger. Her bold attitude stole a brief smile from his face, which the female stranger probably missed his reaction. He shook his head negatively and thought to himself that he preferred a woman like this to the men who survived - he had the clear impression that the 5 legionnaires were actually cowards, because he had never seen them in the frontline.
"One way or the other, you are a fool, stranger. I was just offering the apple as a token of friendship", Julius spoke as he sat next to her, leaning his back against a large oak tree. The Roman bited his apple and stretched his hand again towards the female stranger - had she suspected it was poisoned? If so, her suspicious would have vanished after he himself tried the apple. Meanwhile, he examined her again: instead of looking at her face, Julius looked at her body. She was tall and strong for a woman. Very healthy. Where had a woman like her come from? Some of her features looked like Germanic, but her clothes were pretty Celtic. Julius knew that many Celtic women had been raped by Gothic warriors in the previous raids through the Roman borders in the last 50 years. Was she fruit of this new race?
"What is your name?", the Roman spoke in Celtic with a strong accent. It was impossible for the female stranger to ignore his question, to pretend not to know the basic Celtics. He would not give her up that easily and that move certainly showed he had some cards under the sleeves.
Elu started and stared impolitely at the Roman as he switched to Celtic. Her surprise cleared after a few heartbeats and her wariness came back even stronger. She shifted, edging away from him slightly as he sat next to her and leaned on the tree. She studied him again, watching him once more holding out the apple now that he bit into it. The fact that it could have been poisoned hadn't even crossed her mind. She highly doubted, looking him over, and noting the lack of supplies, that he had a secret stash of poisoned apples on hand to kill strangers. No, that hadn't been her reasoning for refusing the gift. "No. Thank you. I have eaten." She moved the pot still held to her chest slightly, to indicate what she'd just eaten.
Her head snapped around to stare now at the five men with him. They seemed to be going on about the food they were cooking. She raised a brow briefly and wrinkled her nose again in disgust as once more she smelled the poor excuse for food they had cooked. She watched and gauged them as they seemed to squabble over who was getting more of it than another. Thus far, she was unimpressed with their discipline that Romans were famed for. She deduced that she could probably easily give them the slip in the wee hours of the morn. Their leader however...
Coming to her thoughts again, her head turned back to him. Relaxed against the tree, and looking, despite his armour, like he belonged, she knew she would have a harder time slipping away. She shifted again, and set her pot down finally, her eyes flickering to her pack and blankets. If she had too, she would leave it all behind. She got them once, she could get them again. Her eyes came back to him, and roamed over his fit form once more. She had the disturbing feeling that, unlike his men, he would be able to chase her down if she bolted, and her familiarity with the forest wasn't that big of an advantage.
The more reluctant the girl behaved, the more the Roman admired her. Her personality reminded him of the classic women running a Roman property, while the man was away in the war. Careful, cautious and shy. Julius didn't know whether those attributes were actually fitting that woman, whether she was roleplaying something, whether she was just acting as anyone scared to death. Now that the Roman Law vanished as the Roman Power, the so called atrocities made by Rome will look like boys' tricks, compared to what those Germanic were capable of. The Vandals had left a trail of destruction behind them: what the lands beyond the Rhine River could be hiding? Anyway, that poor ignorant woman could hardly have the wisdom to understand those problems. All Julius knew was that in practical terms, he was as vulnerable as she was, specially if he continued to wear those uniforms.
"Do you want to go?", Julius asked, looking into her eyes. "I will not prevent you", he continued in Celtics as the men started arguing with each other more violently about their share in the food. This harsh words took his attention away - the girl's eyes were spotting them from time to time, showing her concern. Julius did not think she was actually afraid of them. Anyway, he felt it was time to stop his subordinates and keep discipline. Deep inside, he knew it would not take longer until the group vanished.
"I told you to pick up more apples when he had the chance", Julius shouted standing up from near the female stranger. He walked towards them and picked up five more apples out of the seven in his bag, throwing each of them to each legionnaire. "Now stop fighting over food. Tomorrow, we will look for more food. It is Spring and at least, we can find some rabbits or pheasants in this area", he added, stepped back and he turned to the girl, who continued to seat there, gripping her pot as if it were her own soul.
Which secrets was she hiding?
Elu jerked again at his words, her stare once more impolite, then changing to suspicion. Not for a moment did she believe he would truly let her go. He might give the illusion, if his men didn't spoil it by getting over excited, but come after her he would. She had no doubts. Probably in hopes of her returning to a village they could raid and plunder. She gave a quiet snort at that thought. Bad luck for you, Roman. I'm an outcast amongst my own people. She gave a quiet sigh on the heels of that thought and then jerked again as he suddenly took notice of the unruliness of his men.
She watched and listened as he berated the men and gave them more apples. She watched him return and studied him yet again. As far as she'd seen, he wasn't taking part in the food, or even eating. She looked down at the pot as he returned and gave yet another sigh. Even an outcast, and hidden deep in the forest, on rare occasions people stumbled upon her. Never one to turn another away in need, she scooted the pot over to him. "Eat. Apples won't be enough for you. Not to mention, too many will make you sick." She still had plenty, and she also knew how to harvest the abundance of the forest if she ran low anyway.
She settled back once more and watched him, thoughtfully. She wondered briefly if he'd take the food, but wasn't overly concerned with if he did or not. She looked over and watched the men finally settle down and just lightly shook her head. Turning back to the Roman, she spoke again. "Where is it you head? Perhaps I can help you on your way."
Her unkind semblance made Julius smile - he could not refrain from nodding at her face. The female stranger was not good at lying. Her semblance clearly showed her lack of comfort with Julius, possibly her skepticism in relation to his words. For the time being, he did not worry whether she believed or not. In reality, it was good to know whom he was dealing with. From his side, she would certainly guess what his feelings and reactions are based solely on his semblance.
No friendliness would be coming from the female stranger. However, to his greatest surprise, she offered the leftover i the pot for Julius. The unexpected move shocked him: wasn't she suffering with the famine plaguing that region? Even the game was vanishing, let alone the fruits and herbs. His eyes opened wide and he stretched his hand to grab the pot, which was still pretty full. His eyes smiled a thank you for the pretty woman and he bowed respectfully. With his right hand, he took some of the herbs and meat and ate them. He was hungry, but he was not capable of having everything.
"Thank you for sharing woman. I really appreciated that.", he replied stretching his left hand with the pot towards the female stranger. Julius was about to ask her name when the woman came out with a question about his destination. Nothing could have cause a puzzling face in Julius. There was an easy answer, Parisium, the nearest fortified Roman city. However, deep inside, the Roman knew that answer was not correct. Possibly, the Roman units there had already been defeated or disbanded. Swallowing dry, he let out an uncomfortable answer with a very cold tone.
"Parisium". The female stranger had hit Julius' weakness unwillingly. The Roman did not know where he was heading for.
A very unfeminine sound came from her as she tried not to chuckle at his surprise, and her lips twitched as if she were fighting a smile. She hadn't expected such a reaction to her offer, and it was amusing that she had gotten to the unflappable seeming Roman. As he smiled and bowed slightly, she quirked a brow at him, her eyes showing a hint of her amusement at such a gesture as the bowing. The smile gave her pause as it completely changed his features, she blinked her own astonishment and yet again studied him as he ate. She inclined her head at his thanks. "There is no need to thank me, Roman."
Elu stiffened and edged back slightly from him as he reverted back to his cold demeanor. For a brief moment she had forgotten he was an enemy. Her whole attitude changed with his. Her expression became suspicious and wary again, and she stiffened slightly sitting there. A strange look crossed her face when he said Parisium was his destination and she looked away. Her eyes came to rest on the men with him again, except this time she didn't see them as she remembered. "I... cannot help you, Roman." Her voice held an odd note to it. It wasn't entirely the truth, she could point him in the right direction after all...
Julius was not shocked by the female stranger's rudeness. Even though he had been raised among noble families, a good upbringing and kind manners were rare assets in those nearly Barbarian lands. To his own eyes, the woman was not unkind: she was just behaving according to her own standards. Although such a view could be seen as very 'modern' for those days, Julius in reality was a pragmatic person: there was no point forcing his Roman manners into those people, specially now that the Empire had collapsed completely. Even her strange sound did not look too shocking to him. It pleased him to see her reaction of amusement, her feeble smile to his bowing, her genuine surprise. For sure, that woman had never seen a real Roman in her life: probably, in the best scenario, all she saw was a descendent of Roman, whose culture was just an imprecise reflection of how his ancestors used to behave.
A magic seemed to be operating. The suspicious woman was lowering down her defenses. Julius never saw her as an opponent, but definitively she saw the Roman as a threat. Conversation finally seemed to be flowing. At least, until the name of Parisium was mentioned. Julius was curious to know why she could not help him. However, he was more curious about something else. He sat next to her and laid on the grass. Looking at the sky, where the stars were starting to appear, he asked.
"What is your name, woman?"
Elu jerked around and became extremely stiff next to him as he lay down. She watched him as he seemed to look up at the stars. She still didn't trust it though. But she didn't want to jump up to get some distance between them, afraid to draw the attention of the men with him. So, she sat there stiffly instead, muscles faintly trembling as the tension she had been under since the Romans had found her.
She shook her head and tried to once more to edge away from him. "Names have Power, Roman." A twig snapped under her, and she froze. Her eyes widened and she darted a look his way.
"True. Is yours powerless?", Julius asked provocatively, looking at the stars as if he were not talking to hers. His voice was calm and firm, showing a lack of interest that was not exactly lack of interest. On the contrary, he was keen on having a relaxed conversation, the sort of conversation men are used to have with their whores in brothels: they never ask anything deeper, agree on everything and are willing to make men relaxed. Sometimes, the whores may come out with question, showing interest on the topic of the conversation. In the past, Julius loved that kind of chitchat, because it made him feel lighter
"Mine is Julius Septimus. I am the Roman Commander in the Northern German Border. Or better saying, I was", he ended up rather melancholic. The dismal in his voice could be easily perceived. Always proud, the Roman realized that his status could have been diminished by his mood. Anyway, there was nothing else to do, everything else was lost. What was the problem in losing the defenses for a while, just to enjoy the moment briefly. Carpe diem, Julius thought to himself, closing his eyes as let another question go out.
"What is the power behind my name, woman?"
At first she ignored his question. It was clear he had no understanding of what she was saying to ask in that manner. Worded all wrong. Though... as she thought on it, perhaps he didn't have as good a grasp of the Celtic language as she first believed. That was until he spilled his name as casually as if he was talking about the weather. She blinked at him in stunned shock. Even after her warning, he freely gave it up. She was at a loss until his next question.
Suddenly, she was in his face, just the width of a hand separating them. Her eyes narrowed and the look on her face definitely one of fury. She hissed at him as she spoke, not wanting the others to over hear. "That you are a fool, Julius Septimus, Roman Commander of the North Germanic Border. Do you know what I could do to you now? Have you any idea the power you have given me over you? Even after the warning I gave you! If you give your name so freely, it is only by the Luck of the Gods someone hasn't made you their tool, their puppet!"
Her hands were on both sides of his head, just above his prone shoulders. Her stomach pressed against his arm closest to her when she'd moved to get in his face to emphasis her words. She glared down at him, truly upset at his flippant disregard for his own safety when it came to his name. Were all Romans so foolish? She was starting to think so, and wondered how on earth they had managed to take over so much in the first place if that was the case.
Julius was surprised once more with her aggressive attitude. Fearing nothing, she approached him and actually made physical contact. Her shining eyes tried to look like spears, when in reality what he felt was a pleasant feeling of comfort. Her hissing and attitude showed that she actually mattered about Julius - what a strange way of conveying that information, the Roman pondered, while he listened to her words, sounding almost like threats. Cultural communication problems could be amusing, but could also lead to wars.
"The Gods have already abandoned me long ago, woman!", Julius replied hissing and looking back into her eyes. His gaze was fighting hers, looking for space to prevail upon her. She had approached too much, crossed a line only those authorized could. Not that he disliked or disapproved it. However, this time, his reply showed the authority of the still Commander of the North Germanic Border. His voice was angered as if he had disliked being reprimanded. "Whatever you could do to me does not matter. Do it now if you want!", he challenged her, firmly believing that nothing worse could happen to him. After all, Julius had just saved her from being raped..
His own angry reply neither intimidated nor cowed her. Growing up hated and shunned she had long ago grown used to such tactics from the people around her, trying to bully her and make her less than what she was. She had a backbone though, and while she was prone to caution and wariness around people, they did not frighten her. His words though did give her pause and disfused some of her anger. She searched his angry eyes thoughtfully. "If the Gods had abandoned you, Roman, you would be dead. Instead, you have come upon the only human to walk these woods without fear. And the only one who had more than apples for you to eat." She shook her head at him and finally pulled away.
Sitting upright again, she stared off into the darkened woods for many long moments. Suddenly, she nodded her head as if in agreement to something and rose, grabbing her pot. Walking over to that which the men had made, she dumped the rest of the contents of her pot in theirs. "Mix it. It should make that foul stuff you made taste slightly better." She turned on her heel and walked back; dropping the pot on her bedding she looked down at Julius. "Come Roman, there is something I would show you." With that, she walked into the dark forest, not once looking back to see if he would follow.
Julius thought about how to reply to female stranger. Maybe she had a point, maybe the Gods had not abandoned him indeed, maybe they were guiding him to a different path, even if he had to go through a lot of pain and suffering. One way or the other, her remarks eased his hard semblance and with a condescending air, Julius smiled at her. He would not challenge her believes, not in that moment. All in all, if the Gods existed in reality, it would be better to have them by his side. He nodded and let her go away, moving his eyes from the stars to her buttocks swaying.
What followed was even more absurd. She caught some herbs and offered his legionnaires. According to her, the idea was to add some flavour, but the men looked at each other suspiciously. The first to attack her smiled, still feeding hopes that she might have liked him, unaware that his commander had been talking to her - his eyes attentively watched her walk to the commander, say something and walk away. The others looked at each other and simply threw away her offer. "It may be some kind of poison", one said.
Julius did not like the way she invited him. Even for different cultural standards, she was too rude. That woman needed to be taught good manners. He was decided not to follow the woman when the same man who had been staring her since their meeting stood up and followed her. He waited one minute, wondering whether to follow them or not. 'Why am I doing this?', he thought to himself as he stood up and followed the two.
Elu heard steps behind her, though she did not look back, the tread was wrong, and she knew it wasn't the Roman following her. With a disgusted sigh, she stepped around a tree, and pulled a knife from the small of her back and waited. As the man came around the tree, too eager to be cautious, he found the sharp side of the knife against his throat, and pressing in hard. Elu stepped, keeping pressure and forcing him to backpedal back around the tree. They came into sight, though Elu didn't notice the Roman a few paces away. Her eyes cold, menacing, and looking into the man's eyes. Finally speaking in Latin to make sure there was no misunderstanding. "Head back to your friends. Eat that worthless food your cooking ruined. You were not invited." She kept stepping forward, forcing him to step back. Enough pressure on his throat to know she could easily slice it, yet no skin broken yet.
She became aware of the Roman as soon as she finished speaking. Her expression never changed, nor her actions falter, as she realized he had heard. She kept a steady pace, so the man wouldn't accidently trip and fall, or move wrong to slice his own throat. She directed her next words to Julius, again in Latin. "Tell me, Roman, do your mothers not teach their sons the fine points of rudeness and curtsey? Or that just because one in a group is invited, that it does not mean all are invited? And that presumptions can almost always get one killed?" Her voice was very hard, very cold. Nothing like when they had been speaking before. It was clear, she was meaning business, and furthermore, had no qualms about doing what she must. She wasn't unaware or caught by surprise this time, and she was clearly not a soft female.
"Funny, I was questioning myself...but in relation to Celtic mothers", Julius grinned as he saw the frightened face in his man. He had watched everything from far and it amused him to know that the girl did almost the same he was planning to do - in other words, he wanted to get rid of that man to protect her. Luckily, she was able to do it by herself.
"Now, you soldier, get back to your legionnaires and enjoy the meal. You should be ashamed for being disarmed by a girl", Julius directed at the legionnaire, as if the female stranger were not there. The man bowed in sign of respect and retreated, with his face looking at both Julius and the woman. Julius smirked, wondering that his man had had his lesson that day. He should learn discipline either the easy or the hard way and the woman's help was of great value. Julius was clearly thinking as if he continued to be a powerful commander in charge of thousands of men when this no longer existed.
However, Julius was not willing to take risks. As soon as the legionnaire walked away, he throttled towards the woman as if he were meant to reach her. His left hand swiftly gripped the wrist holding the knife and twisted it, causing the knife to fall. Then, he pushed her as gentally as possible forward, lowered himself and grabbed the knife, examining it carefully.
"I follow you, woman. However, blades are a boy's toy", he said in Celtics, placing it in his belt. He did not like the idea of a woman leading, but his curiosity spoke louder. It was almost as if he was being dragged there against his own will. "I will return it later. Now take the lead and show me what you want. I think it is not Parisium", he added with a snort.
Elu gave a snort at the Roman['s words about Celtic mothers. But she stood quiet as he reprimanded his man. She had been about to put away her knife since the threat was retreating when the Roman reached out and grabbed her wrist. She grimaced as he twisted and made her drop her knife. She easily stepped back as he pushed her allowing him to retrieve it. She didn't like loosing it, only because it was her favorite one, but she wasn't overly worried about it either, she had a couple more on her.
She turned and started walking. "Come, then. This way." She lead him along for a bit until she came across a clearing she finally liked. Not that it looked any different from the few they'd already passed when she rejected them. She led him to the center of the clearing. When they came to a stop finally, she stepped a bit so she was right in front of him. She spoke one word. "Tekir." Then she waited.
They didn't have long, maybe three heartbeats before a crashing noise could be heard opposite them in the forest. Abruptly a large stag bounded into view. It came to a stop, and looked them over, then sedately started walking towards them. Elu, standing just in front of the Roman, reached behind her to grab her knife, forgetting he had taken it for a moment. Her hand closed on empty air, fingertips lightly brushing across his belly as they did. She gave a frustrated growl as she remembered he now had it, and dropped her hand. She bent slightly and took a knife from her boot top instead. Straightening up, her eyes had never left the beast, she started walking towards the stag.
They met after she traveled the distance of her body in length. She inclined her head to the beast, and he dipped his to her, encasing her in the huge rack that topped his head. Raising his head back up, he looked down at her. "Tekir, people go hungry. We are in need of your services." The stag lowered his head once more and then raised his nose to the sky. Quickly, she stepped forward and stabbed the thin, long knife directly into his heart. She quickly backed up, bumping into Julius. Her hands flew back and grabbed his thighs to steady herself at the sudden shock of someone behind her. She had forgotten about him.
"As the Wheel turns, may your Spirit roam the stars and return once more to the Land when you are ready to help those in need." She spoke the words quietly as the stag sunk to the ground without a sound. His eyes rolled in their direction, and looked at them as the light faded from it. She walked up and knelt beside his head, gently closing his eyes. She looked over at the Roman. "Now you have a glimpse at what can happen when you so freely give your name away." She moved slightly and removed her knife from the beast's chest, stabbing it into the ground, she cleaned the blade, then put it back in her boot
Julius watched the scene shocked, realizing that she looked for her knife. How could a wild beast come and surrender to her words? He swallowed dry, specially because she had made it with the knowledge of its name. She could be bluffing of course. Something deep inside said contrarily. The Roman did not understand the ritual very well, but it seemed that the stag self-sacrificed for the good of the people starving, possibly her people. How would she carry everything? The stag was a large animal after all. Maybe she wanted some help.
Quietly, the Roman approached and held her left shoulder. Without saying any words, he took the knife from his belt and stretched it towards her, offering the knife to the female stranger.
Elu looked up as Julius grabbed her shoulder. She glanced at the knife as he offered it back, then up at his face as she reached and took it, tucking it back in its place. She saw the shock and confusion there and gave a quiet sigh. Her gaze dropped back to the deer and she spoke softly. "You and your men hunger. There should be plenty here with the deer. Get your men to gather me more wood though. I will not let them ruin perfectly good meat with their horrid cooking. It will take a few days, but I can have you plenty of versatile travel food as well for all of you."
She was softly stroking the fur on the neck of the deer as she spoke. She didn't stop either when she went silent, waiting to see if the Roman would take her offer of help. She wouldn't help him get to Parisium, but she could at least help make sure he had plenty of food for his travels. She pointed a bit off from where they had entered the clearing. "Your men are that way, by the way." She had made sure not to travel far from the camp, moving in more of a circle around it. So, it wouldn't take them long to drag the carcass back to camp."
"Who are you, powerful woman?", Julius asked again, believing that his astonishment could have dissuaded her about his ill intention or plans. He stayed there gazing at the woman, while she continued to point out to the direction they had come from. His breath was calm and relaxed, as if he could trust that woman with his own life.
Elu's hand dropped and the other stilled on the beast. She gave a soft sigh and her head bowed. He hadn't removed his hand off her shoulder, and for some reason, she actually found it a small comfort. Perhaps because she hadn't had much for human contact since her mother had died. Or maybe just because She had a growing liking and respect for him. She finally spoke, her voice very soft. "I was named Elu, by the woman who found and raised me. Or you may call me by any number of words the Celts call me. Evil, Outcast, Witch, Abomination." She gave a slight shrug, not enough to dislodge his hand, but enough to convey that it wouldn't matter to her what he chose to call her.
"Elu is a beautiful name, woman", Julius replied as softly as harsh man like him could. His grip turned firmer for a while and his breath speeded a bit. He was feeling very honorable by her own standards, since she had disclosed a vulnerability, something capable of controlling her according to her own believes. Indeed, she was fond of him and Julius felt in heaven. Why was that happening? He could not explain in words. It was more than her wild beauty. Was he under her spell? He had not felt anything. Had it been the food in her pot?
It did not matter. There was job to be done.
Julius kneeled next to the stag and estimated its weight around 75 pounds. He had already carried heavier burden. He used his hands to grip his rear legs and pull them onto his back. Shortly after, he did the same with the front legs of the magnificent stag. Following that, in a display of his strength, he stood up effortlessly. Without saying anything, he started walking towards the clearing where his men were. If she were looking at his back, she saw a complex of strong back muscles at work, rippling a bit as the effort was not that great. Even so, the view was quite impressive, since he was an statuesque person.
Some minutes later, Julius was cheered by his men.
"It was not me who hunted the stag. It was that female stranger", he spoke, keeping her name under secret. It was their secret, something he liked to share with the beauty. "Now get some wood. She will cook for us", Julius ordered as the men spread around. His uniform was covered in blood, so he had to untie the straps in his armour. After some time, he was wearing just the skirt-like part of his uniform, kneeled next to the stag, by himself, wondering how he could clean that mess up.
Elu's head snapped up and looked at him for a moment at his words. Finding no deception in him, she found his words to be true as he saw it. Her gaze dropped again, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. "Thank you." Spoken softly. They sat for several heartbeats as she heard his breathing speed up and his grip tighten slightly on her shoulder. She started to look up again and ask him if there was something wrong when he finally moved to the stag. She scrambled out of the way as he went about lifting the beast to his shoulders. Her eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. Not a person she knew could carry a deer of that size by themselves. She amended that, apparently she did, now, know someone who could. She watched the muscles play along his back as he moved off in the direction of the camp. He didn't seem to be straining in the least. She gave a slight shake of her head and a bemused, low laugh. She then started to trot after him.
She had to side step him as she was right behind him when he entered the camp. She heard the men cheer him, and was a bit surprised when he gave her the credit for the kill. She gave him a side long look, not missing the fact that he not once spoke her name to the men. Her respect for the man rose quite a bit. She had seen their surprised and speculative looks at his words. Perhaps now they would not think to follow her into the forest when she didn't want them too. She had been digging in her pack when he'd started to strip and she found herself watching until he finished. Another shake of her head and she rose. Approaching him, she too knelt beside the stag and started to tie the rope in her hand to the hind feet, binding them together. She looked at Julius from the corner of her eye as she spoke. "There is a stream close by where you and your clothing can be washed. I also know a trick or two on getting the worst of the blood out of clothing. I will show you the way as the rest of the blood drains."
She stood then and looked up at the trees around. Finding a branch to her liking, she swung the rope a couple times in her hand before flinging it up. It sailed nicely and draped over the branch the loose end falling to the ground. She stepped over to it and grabbed the rope, looking back at him. "Help me pull?" She stood there quietly, waiting on him.
"Thanks. Indeed, I think I will need a good wash", the Roman replied without looking at the still strange woman. He rubbed his hands in order to remove the excess of blood on it. So many battles and so many deaths had already made Julius quite comfortable with human blood. Curiously, the scent of the stag's blood was different and did not smell as usual. Before Julius could go to the stream, Elu asked his help to grab some leaves in a high trunk she could not reach.
The strong man held her waistline and effortlessly raised the pretty woman above his head, leaving the rope aside. His head were looking up to her pert butts. He did not mean to show off, even though any other person would get impressed with this new display of fortitude. Julius was a strong man and was unafraid of using his power to solve problems in his daily life. He did not like depending on the others
"Is it better now? If you need higher, I will use the rope", Julius asked with a confident tone in his voice. His hands were firm and Elu probably did not feel unsafe: no trembling could be felt. She was ready to pick up whatever she needed.
Elu was beyond surprised when Julius suddenly lifted her up, instead of helping her pull on the rope. She started laughing and actually twisted enough to look down at him. "Have you purposely misunderstood me, Roman?" Her laughter was a pure and melodious sound, and something she didn't do often. "Tis not I that needed lifting. The only thing I need in the tree is the stag hanging there for easier skinning and butchering." She finally stopped laughing, but still held her smile as she looked down at him. "That is why one end of the rope is tied to its feet after all." Her eyes twinkled as she made the jibe.
Julius did not believe the mistake he had made. Wasn't it too obvious? Any concern or embarrassment the Roman could have soon vanished as Elu laughed in an unexpected way. Rather than anger, her voice seemed to be in a relaxed tone: even though his eyes did not gaze her face, he was sure that the barrier between both of them had just been broken.
"Oh really? Maybe we should speak in both languages from now on...my Celtics is not so good as I thought", the Roman spoke with his heavy accent, lowering her to the ground. In the process of bringing her down, her butts and legs rubbed his abs and legs, so that the blonde woman could feel how muscular the man was. As her feet landed, Julius's grip on her waistline, made her twist to face him. Her face was so different.
"You should smile more", Julius spoke turning to the stag and carrying it to next to Elu, tying its feet to the rope, pulling the large animal and tying the rope to one of the strong roots of that tree.
Elu chuckled at Julius' return quip. It was cut short abruptly as she felt her backside rub against his front as he lowered her. She lost the smile and blushed slightly at his comment. She moved and looked away as he lifted the deer into place. Once it was in place she pulled her knife and slit the stag's throat, letting any remaining blood drain out. She had been quiet until then. Still not facing him, she pointed in a direction and switched to Latin. "The stream is about fifteen paces that way if you wish to clean yourself. When you return I will take care of your outfit."
About then the men started to return with wood. She moved away and showed them where to dump it, then told them she would need more, sending them back out. She started to sort through the wood, putting some pieces aside. Once she had enough to start, she began building a frame of some sort. She started to hum quietly as she worked, once more becoming relaxed.
Not worrying about his men - after all, Elu had taught one of them a good lesson -, Julius spent some 30 minutes trying to get rid of the blood on his skin and his armour. He tried several tricks and even so, the same old crust remained. As a matter o fact, he was unsure whether the blood was his opponents' or stag's. It did not matter. Deep inside, he had the feeling that sooner than expected, he would have to change into more civilian clothes, otherwise he would be hunted down as a Roman saboteur.
The Roman returned slowly - darkness had already fallen and even so, he felt the darkness comfortably relaxing and safe. He smiled to himself, kicking the stones and wondering why that woman had appeared. By the time he returned, all his men waved, but the one who had followed Elu earlier. Clearly, he was upset with Julius. The Roman commander went to his men and engaged in chitchat.
Elu finished building her framework and set it aside. She then worked on making the fire pit a bit larger since she had not planned to cook a whole stag when she originally made it. Finished with that, and having a larger fire now gong, she moved to and started skinning the deer. She was careful as she came to the stomach area so as not to bust the bladder and spoil the meat. It didn't take her long and she set that aside too. She next removed the waste parts and set them aside to get rid of later, then removed the edible internal organs. Spitting them on a stick and getting herbs from her bag, she soon had them settled over the fire and roasting.
Elu had seen the Roman return and go to his men, just as well. She still wasn't ready to actually talk to him again. He made her feel odd. She went back to the deer and started cutting the front haunches off, planning to also roast it for the men to eat. Seasoning them as well, she soon had them over the fire too. Going back yet again, she drug the frame over with her and started cutting meat into thin, narrow strips to smoke. She would need to find some other things to add to it, but for now, she needed to get the meat going.
Julius continued to watch Elu with the corner of his eyes - the Roman had mixed feelings of curiosity, admiration and lust for the blonde woman. Some time later, the conversation moved towards the meat and then to the girl. The commander did not feel comfortable in saying anything about the female stranger. Even though she was a bit far, Julius had the feeling that she could understand Latin and her reluctance to speak it was much more due to her stubborn behaviour than anything else.
"It seems that the commander has someone to warm his feet tonight", one said for the others to laugh.
"And she is pretty indeed, look at her butts: firm and round. She is a good woman to have children", the one who tried to attack said, pointing her body out. If Elu were not understanding or paying attention to their conversation, his rude move of his hand and forefinger certainly made her sure that she was the main topic then. That was enough and Julius, who had been serious until that moment, stood up and ordered.
"Shut up you all! This woman is helping us and all you have in mind is nothing related to thanking her", an angered Julius walked towards her with the same serious face, but this time, she could read guilty in his semblance. Rather differently from the first time when he saved Elu for no reason, this time he had a reason to like and trust her. His plans and actions would surprise her even more, if Elu knew about his recent past.
"Apologies for their behaviour", Julius spoke, lowering his head in sign of respect.
Finished filling the frame with what she could at this point, she was moving it back towards the fire to dry. Setting it in place to some specification only she knew, she looked up at Julius with a final tug of the contraption. It wasn't hard to hear the men's discussion, they tended towards loud anyway. But place them in a quiet forest and even a whisper sounded like a shout to one who was used to the silence of a forest not used to the chatter of Humans. Elu gave the Roman a one shouldered shrug. "It is a male thing." She neither seemed upset or amused. She had the demeanor of one who just accepted it as it was.
Turning the meat she was actually cooking so it would do so evenly, Elu then moved to her pack and pulled out a couple of empty pouches, and then moved towards the Roman's cast off clothed. "Is this all of it then? Except what you wear, of course." She gathered the items up as she spoke and turned to look at him as she waited for him to answer. Not in any big hurry, she would let his clothes soak a bit while she found what she needed to get the blood out, and gathered some things for the travel meat she was preparing. It was going to be a long night, and probably several days, but nothing she couldn't handle.
It surprised her how nonchalantly Elu reacted to his men's lack of respect. Even more worrying was her apparent uninterest for Julius' apologies. The Roman commander had heard that other cultures had problems in dealing with the concept of politeness and finesse - apparently, that Celtic woman was one of them. He would have to learn how to deal with her, specially because she was turning out to be very useful. As he rose his head, nothing would have prepared for her request: she wanted to take his clothes for washing them.
Aghast, Julius' eyes flickered trying to understand how Elu's mind worked. That was far more than strange. Without knowing exactly what to do, the tall Julius nodded and turned his back to return to his men, just to remember that the cotton shirt used under his armour was also impregnated. It had been bothering him to walk shirtless, so he put it on after washing himself in the stream. However, the shirt was not dirtied by the Stag's blood, but by human blood from the last weeks' endless fighting. Without thinking, he removed it again, revealing his muscular back. She could clearly spot every muscle in his back as he breathed. Momentarily, Julius stood there holding his shirt, wondering whether it would be worth giving that shirt with human blood to her. Then, he turned to face her eyes inquisitively.
"I forgot this one. It is exactly the worst of all. Do you think it can be saved?", Julius said. "But it is not the blood of the stag.”
Elu watched Julius walk off. Clearly his culture treated their females far different than her own did, not that she really had a culture, but still. She was starting to turn away when she noted that he'd paused and then took his shirt off. Turning back to her with it and speaking. Taking the few steps needed she approached him, her expression carefully neutral. She wasn't about to give away the strange affects he was suddenly having on her since he'd lifted her up to the tree. "I can save it." She took the shirt and quickly turned away.
Disappearing into the forest, she quickly made her way to the stream. Setting his clothes in the water to soak for a while, holding them in place with large, heavy rocks found nearby. She then scouted the edge of the water and found the things she needed to clean his clothes. Returning, she set them aside close by. Still wanting them to soak some more, she then started hunting berries and nuts. After some time, and the pouches mostly full, she finally returned to the clothes.
She set to work on the clothes. It took some time, and much scrubbing on her part, to finally get them cleaned. Once she did, she wrung them out and then draped them over her arm. She returned to the camp and dropped the pouches near her bedroll. She then started to hang his clothes about the campsite so they could dry. She then returned to the fire and turned the meat. She moved to the frame and started turning the strips over as well.
The whole time she was gone, her thoughts kept returning to the Roman. She didn't understand why, other than she'd just met him. But that didn't explain how she'd keep returning to and dwelling on the affect he'd had on her when he'd lowered her down. Her body had reacted strangely to the close feel and sliding down his body. Her heart had sped up slightly, and she had felt as if there were butterflies suddenly loose in her stomach. And now, every time she looked at him, or he was near, she started reacting the same way. Finally, she gave a disgusted sigh at herself as she kept turning the strips over.
After finding a spot, nestled in a blackberry bush, she set about gathering firewood. She also gathered wild onion and tubers. Returning, she went about making a fire pit. As she got the fire going and let it burn down enough for cooking, she pulled out a pot and her small knife. Cutting an onion and tuber into the pot, she added some dry meat and water. Both the fire and the pot ready for cooking, she set it at the edge of the fire to cook. She next went about setting up a place to sleep between the fire and the back side of the small circle of bushes, thus keeping the fire between herself and the way into her camp.
Stiring the pot now and again, it was soon ready for eating. She scooped some into her bowl. Then set the pot off to the side to cool and wait for morning. Settling onto her bedroll, she started to eat as she stared into the flames of her fire and reflected on her life as she was want to do.
The days following the Winter Solstice were short and cold. To make the weather gloomier, there was a thick mist nearly blinded the survivors for the task of walking ahead. It had been days since they last saw the sunlight and honestly, none of them knew whether the were heading towards Parisium, which was said to be one of the last cities resisting the Germanic invasion in the Roman Gaul. Conversation was limited to the essential and all of they were frightened with what could happen if they were marching into Germanic-controlled lands, wearing Roman uniforms. Their mood explained why all of them were marching quietly even without any direct order by their commander, stepping on the ground gently and avoiding any twig: none of them wanted to be found out, they wanted to find out.
Quietly, Julius prayed for Hecate, willing to have some light from her. Not only a clearer day did the Roman beg for, but also a brighter future, a guidance as to what to do. To the eyes of his men, he showed no hesitation, because the course of action seemed to be quite obvious. Nevertheless, deep inside, Julius was as lost as he was in that mist. A beacon of light was the most important thing for him in that moment.
Surprisingly, neither his eyes, nor his ears called his attention to the stranger nearby. It was his nose who warned Julius about the human presence: a minor sense, his nose inhaled the air brought by the very light breeze blowing from his right-hand side. His eyes turned to that direction and he saw a tiny fire, clouded by the mist, together with what seemed to be a human body sitting next to it. Julius waved at his men, pointed the fire and asked for silence.
From that place on, Julius walked with even more care. What if that was just one fire of an entire German tribe? What if it was a group of bandits? What if they were otherworldly creatures? Every care was required and he approached the human. Step by step, it became clearer that the human was a woman and that she was alone. Her back was facing Julius' group so that she could not see them coming. No apparent risk was involved in talking to the female stranger and getting some pieces of information. Nevertheless, as the distance grew shorter than 5 metres, the five men disobeyed him and swarmed around the woman, as if they were indiscipline legionnaires. One of them hit her head with the pommel of his sword, kicking the pot with food into a nearby tree.
That angered Julius.
He did not care whether the woman had been beaten or not. Julius knew that the next step would be to rape the woman. However, he was worried about the fact the man did not obey his commands. As the same legionnaire turned to the woman with lust in his eyes, Julius' leg kicked his belly, expelling all the air out f it.
"You fool! I had not ordered anything!", Julius spoke seriously with a thundering voice. "Now, clear up the mess and bring the food back to the woman", he ordered the undisciplined man. His idea was more to humiliate the man and teach him Julius was still in charge of that group, no matter how small it was. Somehow hesitatingly, the man complied with his orders: he cleared the mess and put the meat and roots into the pot. The times were hard and people would hardly despise some food just because it had fallen out of the pot. Julius took the pot from his hands harshly and while the others were starting to take advantage of the fire to cook their own meal without asking for the woman's permission, Julius kneeled next to the woman and handed the pot in.
"Take it. I think it it yours", Julius spoke in Latin, unsure whether she could understand anything. For the first time, his eyes laid on the woman wearing rags and he was voiceless for a second.
Elu heard a twig snap, but not in time to avoid the blow to the head with something hard. Dazed, she fell over, and it took her a few heartbeats to sort what had just happened. The thunderous voice is what finally brought her around. "You fool! I had not ordered anything!" "Now, clear up the mess and bring the food back to the woman" She blinked and started to lift herself up on one hand, her other gingerly touching her head, trying to find the extent of the damage. She blearily looked about and saw five, no wait, six men. One was putting her food back in the pot and she sighed. There went breakfast. At least the Forest Spirits would be happy.
Elu blinked and found one of the men near her holding out the pot. "Take it. I think it is yours" She blinked again and looked from him to the pot. When she looked back to him, there was a wary look in her eyes. She understood Latin all too well, her mother had taught it too her after all. Being alone, in the forest with six men, obviously Roman Legionnaires by their dress, she thought it might be best to feign ignorance. Frowning slightly, she hesitantly reached for the pot. She would test the waters, so to speak. She waited to see if he really would give her the pot.
The coldness and seriousness in Elu's face surprised Julius. After being attacked, every girl the Roman knew would be screaming, crying and frightened. Any help, even if coming from the enemy, would be more than welcome. Paradoxically, the female stranger remained calm and in control of herself, as if she feared nothing. Or at least, as if she knew that nothing should be feared. Julius' curiosity grew as a result of that. Momentarily, he wanted to brush her hair lock away, so that her face could be more easily examined - the penumbra prevented him from having a clear view of her face. He gave up the idea, since he lacked intimacy. For some reason, her face inspired an unexplainable feeling of respect.
Even so, what Julius saw surprised him after realizing how beautiful her face was. The Roman looked into her face attentively. She was gorgeous: her blonde hair seemed to be soft, her semblance reminded one of a nymph and her body was comparable to Venus'. To a certain extent, her face reminded him of his deceased wife. Luckily, none of the men had enough time to pay attention to that woman dressed in rags, otherwise Julius would have to fight to defend her.
The Roman tried to hide his amazement after a couple of seconds. Any experienced woman would have realized what Julius's feelings were. A silly face of admiration and perhaps some hidden lust in the mind. The female stranger could not know that what stroke him was far deeper than her raw beauty: one way or the other, Julius wanted to talk to her. He kept his hand firmly stretched and insisted roughly in the only way a military could do.
"Will you not take it back?", Julius spoke without much subtleties. He wore no smile - that was not the right way to gain the respect of any woman, he had already learned that. Instead, he took a very red apple from the bag tied to his belt and offered it to the female stranger. "Take it too", he added. Even though he did not expect to buy apologies for the rudeness of his men, Julius really wanted to start a conversation with the woman.
Snatching the pot from his outstretched hand, she hugged it close to her chest and stared at him. She waited to see what retaliation he would make now, or if his intentions were true. She did not even glance at the apple in his hand. Though such fruit was rare, she wasn't about to take it and somehow become indebted to him. The pot and the food within it was hers, so it was only right she took it back. The apple though, could become a dangerous gift.
While she waited to see what he would do next, she took the time to study him. Well built and muscular, he was clearly a warrior, his commanding attitude and tone though marked him as a Leader. His attire wasn't much different than her own, though of tougher make, hers just being the furs of animals she had caught for food and made by her. He wore a metal plumed helm, something not seen among the Celts who at most just had metal weapons, if they were lucky enough to have found them. What she could see of his features through that helm were not unhandsome, but more exotic to her eyes, used to seeing Celtic men as they were when she happened upon people.
Her head turned slightly, still keeping him in her vision and studied the other men with him. Unimpressed with their tidy but worn attire and appearance she watched them use her fire to cook upon. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she caught a whiff. They clearly were over cooking whatever it was, and had no idea how to use the abundance of the forest to give it a better smell and flavor than what it was presently giving off. Deciding they were occupied for now to not have to worry about another attack from them just yet, her features straightened back out and she turned back to the Roman beside her. She still gave no indication that she understood his words.
Her reluctance to accept his apple surprised him even more. In those famine days, refusing food was almost a sacrilege. Let alone if the food was a rare apple. Anyway, the surprise turned into admiration for that female stranger. Her bold attitude stole a brief smile from his face, which the female stranger probably missed his reaction. He shook his head negatively and thought to himself that he preferred a woman like this to the men who survived - he had the clear impression that the 5 legionnaires were actually cowards, because he had never seen them in the frontline.
"One way or the other, you are a fool, stranger. I was just offering the apple as a token of friendship", Julius spoke as he sat next to her, leaning his back against a large oak tree. The Roman bited his apple and stretched his hand again towards the female stranger - had she suspected it was poisoned? If so, her suspicious would have vanished after he himself tried the apple. Meanwhile, he examined her again: instead of looking at her face, Julius looked at her body. She was tall and strong for a woman. Very healthy. Where had a woman like her come from? Some of her features looked like Germanic, but her clothes were pretty Celtic. Julius knew that many Celtic women had been raped by Gothic warriors in the previous raids through the Roman borders in the last 50 years. Was she fruit of this new race?
"What is your name?", the Roman spoke in Celtic with a strong accent. It was impossible for the female stranger to ignore his question, to pretend not to know the basic Celtics. He would not give her up that easily and that move certainly showed he had some cards under the sleeves.
Elu started and stared impolitely at the Roman as he switched to Celtic. Her surprise cleared after a few heartbeats and her wariness came back even stronger. She shifted, edging away from him slightly as he sat next to her and leaned on the tree. She studied him again, watching him once more holding out the apple now that he bit into it. The fact that it could have been poisoned hadn't even crossed her mind. She highly doubted, looking him over, and noting the lack of supplies, that he had a secret stash of poisoned apples on hand to kill strangers. No, that hadn't been her reasoning for refusing the gift. "No. Thank you. I have eaten." She moved the pot still held to her chest slightly, to indicate what she'd just eaten.
Her head snapped around to stare now at the five men with him. They seemed to be going on about the food they were cooking. She raised a brow briefly and wrinkled her nose again in disgust as once more she smelled the poor excuse for food they had cooked. She watched and gauged them as they seemed to squabble over who was getting more of it than another. Thus far, she was unimpressed with their discipline that Romans were famed for. She deduced that she could probably easily give them the slip in the wee hours of the morn. Their leader however...
Coming to her thoughts again, her head turned back to him. Relaxed against the tree, and looking, despite his armour, like he belonged, she knew she would have a harder time slipping away. She shifted again, and set her pot down finally, her eyes flickering to her pack and blankets. If she had too, she would leave it all behind. She got them once, she could get them again. Her eyes came back to him, and roamed over his fit form once more. She had the disturbing feeling that, unlike his men, he would be able to chase her down if she bolted, and her familiarity with the forest wasn't that big of an advantage.
The more reluctant the girl behaved, the more the Roman admired her. Her personality reminded him of the classic women running a Roman property, while the man was away in the war. Careful, cautious and shy. Julius didn't know whether those attributes were actually fitting that woman, whether she was roleplaying something, whether she was just acting as anyone scared to death. Now that the Roman Law vanished as the Roman Power, the so called atrocities made by Rome will look like boys' tricks, compared to what those Germanic were capable of. The Vandals had left a trail of destruction behind them: what the lands beyond the Rhine River could be hiding? Anyway, that poor ignorant woman could hardly have the wisdom to understand those problems. All Julius knew was that in practical terms, he was as vulnerable as she was, specially if he continued to wear those uniforms.
"Do you want to go?", Julius asked, looking into her eyes. "I will not prevent you", he continued in Celtics as the men started arguing with each other more violently about their share in the food. This harsh words took his attention away - the girl's eyes were spotting them from time to time, showing her concern. Julius did not think she was actually afraid of them. Anyway, he felt it was time to stop his subordinates and keep discipline. Deep inside, he knew it would not take longer until the group vanished.
"I told you to pick up more apples when he had the chance", Julius shouted standing up from near the female stranger. He walked towards them and picked up five more apples out of the seven in his bag, throwing each of them to each legionnaire. "Now stop fighting over food. Tomorrow, we will look for more food. It is Spring and at least, we can find some rabbits or pheasants in this area", he added, stepped back and he turned to the girl, who continued to seat there, gripping her pot as if it were her own soul.
Which secrets was she hiding?
Elu jerked again at his words, her stare once more impolite, then changing to suspicion. Not for a moment did she believe he would truly let her go. He might give the illusion, if his men didn't spoil it by getting over excited, but come after her he would. She had no doubts. Probably in hopes of her returning to a village they could raid and plunder. She gave a quiet snort at that thought. Bad luck for you, Roman. I'm an outcast amongst my own people. She gave a quiet sigh on the heels of that thought and then jerked again as he suddenly took notice of the unruliness of his men.
She watched and listened as he berated the men and gave them more apples. She watched him return and studied him yet again. As far as she'd seen, he wasn't taking part in the food, or even eating. She looked down at the pot as he returned and gave yet another sigh. Even an outcast, and hidden deep in the forest, on rare occasions people stumbled upon her. Never one to turn another away in need, she scooted the pot over to him. "Eat. Apples won't be enough for you. Not to mention, too many will make you sick." She still had plenty, and she also knew how to harvest the abundance of the forest if she ran low anyway.
She settled back once more and watched him, thoughtfully. She wondered briefly if he'd take the food, but wasn't overly concerned with if he did or not. She looked over and watched the men finally settle down and just lightly shook her head. Turning back to the Roman, she spoke again. "Where is it you head? Perhaps I can help you on your way."
Her unkind semblance made Julius smile - he could not refrain from nodding at her face. The female stranger was not good at lying. Her semblance clearly showed her lack of comfort with Julius, possibly her skepticism in relation to his words. For the time being, he did not worry whether she believed or not. In reality, it was good to know whom he was dealing with. From his side, she would certainly guess what his feelings and reactions are based solely on his semblance.
No friendliness would be coming from the female stranger. However, to his greatest surprise, she offered the leftover i the pot for Julius. The unexpected move shocked him: wasn't she suffering with the famine plaguing that region? Even the game was vanishing, let alone the fruits and herbs. His eyes opened wide and he stretched his hand to grab the pot, which was still pretty full. His eyes smiled a thank you for the pretty woman and he bowed respectfully. With his right hand, he took some of the herbs and meat and ate them. He was hungry, but he was not capable of having everything.
"Thank you for sharing woman. I really appreciated that.", he replied stretching his left hand with the pot towards the female stranger. Julius was about to ask her name when the woman came out with a question about his destination. Nothing could have cause a puzzling face in Julius. There was an easy answer, Parisium, the nearest fortified Roman city. However, deep inside, the Roman knew that answer was not correct. Possibly, the Roman units there had already been defeated or disbanded. Swallowing dry, he let out an uncomfortable answer with a very cold tone.
"Parisium". The female stranger had hit Julius' weakness unwillingly. The Roman did not know where he was heading for.
A very unfeminine sound came from her as she tried not to chuckle at his surprise, and her lips twitched as if she were fighting a smile. She hadn't expected such a reaction to her offer, and it was amusing that she had gotten to the unflappable seeming Roman. As he smiled and bowed slightly, she quirked a brow at him, her eyes showing a hint of her amusement at such a gesture as the bowing. The smile gave her pause as it completely changed his features, she blinked her own astonishment and yet again studied him as he ate. She inclined her head at his thanks. "There is no need to thank me, Roman."
Elu stiffened and edged back slightly from him as he reverted back to his cold demeanor. For a brief moment she had forgotten he was an enemy. Her whole attitude changed with his. Her expression became suspicious and wary again, and she stiffened slightly sitting there. A strange look crossed her face when he said Parisium was his destination and she looked away. Her eyes came to rest on the men with him again, except this time she didn't see them as she remembered. "I... cannot help you, Roman." Her voice held an odd note to it. It wasn't entirely the truth, she could point him in the right direction after all...
Julius was not shocked by the female stranger's rudeness. Even though he had been raised among noble families, a good upbringing and kind manners were rare assets in those nearly Barbarian lands. To his own eyes, the woman was not unkind: she was just behaving according to her own standards. Although such a view could be seen as very 'modern' for those days, Julius in reality was a pragmatic person: there was no point forcing his Roman manners into those people, specially now that the Empire had collapsed completely. Even her strange sound did not look too shocking to him. It pleased him to see her reaction of amusement, her feeble smile to his bowing, her genuine surprise. For sure, that woman had never seen a real Roman in her life: probably, in the best scenario, all she saw was a descendent of Roman, whose culture was just an imprecise reflection of how his ancestors used to behave.
A magic seemed to be operating. The suspicious woman was lowering down her defenses. Julius never saw her as an opponent, but definitively she saw the Roman as a threat. Conversation finally seemed to be flowing. At least, until the name of Parisium was mentioned. Julius was curious to know why she could not help him. However, he was more curious about something else. He sat next to her and laid on the grass. Looking at the sky, where the stars were starting to appear, he asked.
"What is your name, woman?"
Elu jerked around and became extremely stiff next to him as he lay down. She watched him as he seemed to look up at the stars. She still didn't trust it though. But she didn't want to jump up to get some distance between them, afraid to draw the attention of the men with him. So, she sat there stiffly instead, muscles faintly trembling as the tension she had been under since the Romans had found her.
She shook her head and tried to once more to edge away from him. "Names have Power, Roman." A twig snapped under her, and she froze. Her eyes widened and she darted a look his way.
"True. Is yours powerless?", Julius asked provocatively, looking at the stars as if he were not talking to hers. His voice was calm and firm, showing a lack of interest that was not exactly lack of interest. On the contrary, he was keen on having a relaxed conversation, the sort of conversation men are used to have with their whores in brothels: they never ask anything deeper, agree on everything and are willing to make men relaxed. Sometimes, the whores may come out with question, showing interest on the topic of the conversation. In the past, Julius loved that kind of chitchat, because it made him feel lighter
"Mine is Julius Septimus. I am the Roman Commander in the Northern German Border. Or better saying, I was", he ended up rather melancholic. The dismal in his voice could be easily perceived. Always proud, the Roman realized that his status could have been diminished by his mood. Anyway, there was nothing else to do, everything else was lost. What was the problem in losing the defenses for a while, just to enjoy the moment briefly. Carpe diem, Julius thought to himself, closing his eyes as let another question go out.
"What is the power behind my name, woman?"
At first she ignored his question. It was clear he had no understanding of what she was saying to ask in that manner. Worded all wrong. Though... as she thought on it, perhaps he didn't have as good a grasp of the Celtic language as she first believed. That was until he spilled his name as casually as if he was talking about the weather. She blinked at him in stunned shock. Even after her warning, he freely gave it up. She was at a loss until his next question.
Suddenly, she was in his face, just the width of a hand separating them. Her eyes narrowed and the look on her face definitely one of fury. She hissed at him as she spoke, not wanting the others to over hear. "That you are a fool, Julius Septimus, Roman Commander of the North Germanic Border. Do you know what I could do to you now? Have you any idea the power you have given me over you? Even after the warning I gave you! If you give your name so freely, it is only by the Luck of the Gods someone hasn't made you their tool, their puppet!"
Her hands were on both sides of his head, just above his prone shoulders. Her stomach pressed against his arm closest to her when she'd moved to get in his face to emphasis her words. She glared down at him, truly upset at his flippant disregard for his own safety when it came to his name. Were all Romans so foolish? She was starting to think so, and wondered how on earth they had managed to take over so much in the first place if that was the case.
Julius was surprised once more with her aggressive attitude. Fearing nothing, she approached him and actually made physical contact. Her shining eyes tried to look like spears, when in reality what he felt was a pleasant feeling of comfort. Her hissing and attitude showed that she actually mattered about Julius - what a strange way of conveying that information, the Roman pondered, while he listened to her words, sounding almost like threats. Cultural communication problems could be amusing, but could also lead to wars.
"The Gods have already abandoned me long ago, woman!", Julius replied hissing and looking back into her eyes. His gaze was fighting hers, looking for space to prevail upon her. She had approached too much, crossed a line only those authorized could. Not that he disliked or disapproved it. However, this time, his reply showed the authority of the still Commander of the North Germanic Border. His voice was angered as if he had disliked being reprimanded. "Whatever you could do to me does not matter. Do it now if you want!", he challenged her, firmly believing that nothing worse could happen to him. After all, Julius had just saved her from being raped..
His own angry reply neither intimidated nor cowed her. Growing up hated and shunned she had long ago grown used to such tactics from the people around her, trying to bully her and make her less than what she was. She had a backbone though, and while she was prone to caution and wariness around people, they did not frighten her. His words though did give her pause and disfused some of her anger. She searched his angry eyes thoughtfully. "If the Gods had abandoned you, Roman, you would be dead. Instead, you have come upon the only human to walk these woods without fear. And the only one who had more than apples for you to eat." She shook her head at him and finally pulled away.
Sitting upright again, she stared off into the darkened woods for many long moments. Suddenly, she nodded her head as if in agreement to something and rose, grabbing her pot. Walking over to that which the men had made, she dumped the rest of the contents of her pot in theirs. "Mix it. It should make that foul stuff you made taste slightly better." She turned on her heel and walked back; dropping the pot on her bedding she looked down at Julius. "Come Roman, there is something I would show you." With that, she walked into the dark forest, not once looking back to see if he would follow.
Julius thought about how to reply to female stranger. Maybe she had a point, maybe the Gods had not abandoned him indeed, maybe they were guiding him to a different path, even if he had to go through a lot of pain and suffering. One way or the other, her remarks eased his hard semblance and with a condescending air, Julius smiled at her. He would not challenge her believes, not in that moment. All in all, if the Gods existed in reality, it would be better to have them by his side. He nodded and let her go away, moving his eyes from the stars to her buttocks swaying.
What followed was even more absurd. She caught some herbs and offered his legionnaires. According to her, the idea was to add some flavour, but the men looked at each other suspiciously. The first to attack her smiled, still feeding hopes that she might have liked him, unaware that his commander had been talking to her - his eyes attentively watched her walk to the commander, say something and walk away. The others looked at each other and simply threw away her offer. "It may be some kind of poison", one said.
Julius did not like the way she invited him. Even for different cultural standards, she was too rude. That woman needed to be taught good manners. He was decided not to follow the woman when the same man who had been staring her since their meeting stood up and followed her. He waited one minute, wondering whether to follow them or not. 'Why am I doing this?', he thought to himself as he stood up and followed the two.
Elu heard steps behind her, though she did not look back, the tread was wrong, and she knew it wasn't the Roman following her. With a disgusted sigh, she stepped around a tree, and pulled a knife from the small of her back and waited. As the man came around the tree, too eager to be cautious, he found the sharp side of the knife against his throat, and pressing in hard. Elu stepped, keeping pressure and forcing him to backpedal back around the tree. They came into sight, though Elu didn't notice the Roman a few paces away. Her eyes cold, menacing, and looking into the man's eyes. Finally speaking in Latin to make sure there was no misunderstanding. "Head back to your friends. Eat that worthless food your cooking ruined. You were not invited." She kept stepping forward, forcing him to step back. Enough pressure on his throat to know she could easily slice it, yet no skin broken yet.
She became aware of the Roman as soon as she finished speaking. Her expression never changed, nor her actions falter, as she realized he had heard. She kept a steady pace, so the man wouldn't accidently trip and fall, or move wrong to slice his own throat. She directed her next words to Julius, again in Latin. "Tell me, Roman, do your mothers not teach their sons the fine points of rudeness and curtsey? Or that just because one in a group is invited, that it does not mean all are invited? And that presumptions can almost always get one killed?" Her voice was very hard, very cold. Nothing like when they had been speaking before. It was clear, she was meaning business, and furthermore, had no qualms about doing what she must. She wasn't unaware or caught by surprise this time, and she was clearly not a soft female.
"Funny, I was questioning myself...but in relation to Celtic mothers", Julius grinned as he saw the frightened face in his man. He had watched everything from far and it amused him to know that the girl did almost the same he was planning to do - in other words, he wanted to get rid of that man to protect her. Luckily, she was able to do it by herself.
"Now, you soldier, get back to your legionnaires and enjoy the meal. You should be ashamed for being disarmed by a girl", Julius directed at the legionnaire, as if the female stranger were not there. The man bowed in sign of respect and retreated, with his face looking at both Julius and the woman. Julius smirked, wondering that his man had had his lesson that day. He should learn discipline either the easy or the hard way and the woman's help was of great value. Julius was clearly thinking as if he continued to be a powerful commander in charge of thousands of men when this no longer existed.
However, Julius was not willing to take risks. As soon as the legionnaire walked away, he throttled towards the woman as if he were meant to reach her. His left hand swiftly gripped the wrist holding the knife and twisted it, causing the knife to fall. Then, he pushed her as gentally as possible forward, lowered himself and grabbed the knife, examining it carefully.
"I follow you, woman. However, blades are a boy's toy", he said in Celtics, placing it in his belt. He did not like the idea of a woman leading, but his curiosity spoke louder. It was almost as if he was being dragged there against his own will. "I will return it later. Now take the lead and show me what you want. I think it is not Parisium", he added with a snort.
Elu gave a snort at the Roman['s words about Celtic mothers. But she stood quiet as he reprimanded his man. She had been about to put away her knife since the threat was retreating when the Roman reached out and grabbed her wrist. She grimaced as he twisted and made her drop her knife. She easily stepped back as he pushed her allowing him to retrieve it. She didn't like loosing it, only because it was her favorite one, but she wasn't overly worried about it either, she had a couple more on her.
She turned and started walking. "Come, then. This way." She lead him along for a bit until she came across a clearing she finally liked. Not that it looked any different from the few they'd already passed when she rejected them. She led him to the center of the clearing. When they came to a stop finally, she stepped a bit so she was right in front of him. She spoke one word. "Tekir." Then she waited.
They didn't have long, maybe three heartbeats before a crashing noise could be heard opposite them in the forest. Abruptly a large stag bounded into view. It came to a stop, and looked them over, then sedately started walking towards them. Elu, standing just in front of the Roman, reached behind her to grab her knife, forgetting he had taken it for a moment. Her hand closed on empty air, fingertips lightly brushing across his belly as they did. She gave a frustrated growl as she remembered he now had it, and dropped her hand. She bent slightly and took a knife from her boot top instead. Straightening up, her eyes had never left the beast, she started walking towards the stag.
They met after she traveled the distance of her body in length. She inclined her head to the beast, and he dipped his to her, encasing her in the huge rack that topped his head. Raising his head back up, he looked down at her. "Tekir, people go hungry. We are in need of your services." The stag lowered his head once more and then raised his nose to the sky. Quickly, she stepped forward and stabbed the thin, long knife directly into his heart. She quickly backed up, bumping into Julius. Her hands flew back and grabbed his thighs to steady herself at the sudden shock of someone behind her. She had forgotten about him.
"As the Wheel turns, may your Spirit roam the stars and return once more to the Land when you are ready to help those in need." She spoke the words quietly as the stag sunk to the ground without a sound. His eyes rolled in their direction, and looked at them as the light faded from it. She walked up and knelt beside his head, gently closing his eyes. She looked over at the Roman. "Now you have a glimpse at what can happen when you so freely give your name away." She moved slightly and removed her knife from the beast's chest, stabbing it into the ground, she cleaned the blade, then put it back in her boot
Julius watched the scene shocked, realizing that she looked for her knife. How could a wild beast come and surrender to her words? He swallowed dry, specially because she had made it with the knowledge of its name. She could be bluffing of course. Something deep inside said contrarily. The Roman did not understand the ritual very well, but it seemed that the stag self-sacrificed for the good of the people starving, possibly her people. How would she carry everything? The stag was a large animal after all. Maybe she wanted some help.
Quietly, the Roman approached and held her left shoulder. Without saying any words, he took the knife from his belt and stretched it towards her, offering the knife to the female stranger.
Elu looked up as Julius grabbed her shoulder. She glanced at the knife as he offered it back, then up at his face as she reached and took it, tucking it back in its place. She saw the shock and confusion there and gave a quiet sigh. Her gaze dropped back to the deer and she spoke softly. "You and your men hunger. There should be plenty here with the deer. Get your men to gather me more wood though. I will not let them ruin perfectly good meat with their horrid cooking. It will take a few days, but I can have you plenty of versatile travel food as well for all of you."
She was softly stroking the fur on the neck of the deer as she spoke. She didn't stop either when she went silent, waiting to see if the Roman would take her offer of help. She wouldn't help him get to Parisium, but she could at least help make sure he had plenty of food for his travels. She pointed a bit off from where they had entered the clearing. "Your men are that way, by the way." She had made sure not to travel far from the camp, moving in more of a circle around it. So, it wouldn't take them long to drag the carcass back to camp."
"Who are you, powerful woman?", Julius asked again, believing that his astonishment could have dissuaded her about his ill intention or plans. He stayed there gazing at the woman, while she continued to point out to the direction they had come from. His breath was calm and relaxed, as if he could trust that woman with his own life.
Elu's hand dropped and the other stilled on the beast. She gave a soft sigh and her head bowed. He hadn't removed his hand off her shoulder, and for some reason, she actually found it a small comfort. Perhaps because she hadn't had much for human contact since her mother had died. Or maybe just because She had a growing liking and respect for him. She finally spoke, her voice very soft. "I was named Elu, by the woman who found and raised me. Or you may call me by any number of words the Celts call me. Evil, Outcast, Witch, Abomination." She gave a slight shrug, not enough to dislodge his hand, but enough to convey that it wouldn't matter to her what he chose to call her.
"Elu is a beautiful name, woman", Julius replied as softly as harsh man like him could. His grip turned firmer for a while and his breath speeded a bit. He was feeling very honorable by her own standards, since she had disclosed a vulnerability, something capable of controlling her according to her own believes. Indeed, she was fond of him and Julius felt in heaven. Why was that happening? He could not explain in words. It was more than her wild beauty. Was he under her spell? He had not felt anything. Had it been the food in her pot?
It did not matter. There was job to be done.
Julius kneeled next to the stag and estimated its weight around 75 pounds. He had already carried heavier burden. He used his hands to grip his rear legs and pull them onto his back. Shortly after, he did the same with the front legs of the magnificent stag. Following that, in a display of his strength, he stood up effortlessly. Without saying anything, he started walking towards the clearing where his men were. If she were looking at his back, she saw a complex of strong back muscles at work, rippling a bit as the effort was not that great. Even so, the view was quite impressive, since he was an statuesque person.
Some minutes later, Julius was cheered by his men.
"It was not me who hunted the stag. It was that female stranger", he spoke, keeping her name under secret. It was their secret, something he liked to share with the beauty. "Now get some wood. She will cook for us", Julius ordered as the men spread around. His uniform was covered in blood, so he had to untie the straps in his armour. After some time, he was wearing just the skirt-like part of his uniform, kneeled next to the stag, by himself, wondering how he could clean that mess up.
Elu's head snapped up and looked at him for a moment at his words. Finding no deception in him, she found his words to be true as he saw it. Her gaze dropped again, a slight blush crossing her cheeks. "Thank you." Spoken softly. They sat for several heartbeats as she heard his breathing speed up and his grip tighten slightly on her shoulder. She started to look up again and ask him if there was something wrong when he finally moved to the stag. She scrambled out of the way as he went about lifting the beast to his shoulders. Her eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. Not a person she knew could carry a deer of that size by themselves. She amended that, apparently she did, now, know someone who could. She watched the muscles play along his back as he moved off in the direction of the camp. He didn't seem to be straining in the least. She gave a slight shake of her head and a bemused, low laugh. She then started to trot after him.
She had to side step him as she was right behind him when he entered the camp. She heard the men cheer him, and was a bit surprised when he gave her the credit for the kill. She gave him a side long look, not missing the fact that he not once spoke her name to the men. Her respect for the man rose quite a bit. She had seen their surprised and speculative looks at his words. Perhaps now they would not think to follow her into the forest when she didn't want them too. She had been digging in her pack when he'd started to strip and she found herself watching until he finished. Another shake of her head and she rose. Approaching him, she too knelt beside the stag and started to tie the rope in her hand to the hind feet, binding them together. She looked at Julius from the corner of her eye as she spoke. "There is a stream close by where you and your clothing can be washed. I also know a trick or two on getting the worst of the blood out of clothing. I will show you the way as the rest of the blood drains."
She stood then and looked up at the trees around. Finding a branch to her liking, she swung the rope a couple times in her hand before flinging it up. It sailed nicely and draped over the branch the loose end falling to the ground. She stepped over to it and grabbed the rope, looking back at him. "Help me pull?" She stood there quietly, waiting on him.
"Thanks. Indeed, I think I will need a good wash", the Roman replied without looking at the still strange woman. He rubbed his hands in order to remove the excess of blood on it. So many battles and so many deaths had already made Julius quite comfortable with human blood. Curiously, the scent of the stag's blood was different and did not smell as usual. Before Julius could go to the stream, Elu asked his help to grab some leaves in a high trunk she could not reach.
The strong man held her waistline and effortlessly raised the pretty woman above his head, leaving the rope aside. His head were looking up to her pert butts. He did not mean to show off, even though any other person would get impressed with this new display of fortitude. Julius was a strong man and was unafraid of using his power to solve problems in his daily life. He did not like depending on the others
"Is it better now? If you need higher, I will use the rope", Julius asked with a confident tone in his voice. His hands were firm and Elu probably did not feel unsafe: no trembling could be felt. She was ready to pick up whatever she needed.
Elu was beyond surprised when Julius suddenly lifted her up, instead of helping her pull on the rope. She started laughing and actually twisted enough to look down at him. "Have you purposely misunderstood me, Roman?" Her laughter was a pure and melodious sound, and something she didn't do often. "Tis not I that needed lifting. The only thing I need in the tree is the stag hanging there for easier skinning and butchering." She finally stopped laughing, but still held her smile as she looked down at him. "That is why one end of the rope is tied to its feet after all." Her eyes twinkled as she made the jibe.
Julius did not believe the mistake he had made. Wasn't it too obvious? Any concern or embarrassment the Roman could have soon vanished as Elu laughed in an unexpected way. Rather than anger, her voice seemed to be in a relaxed tone: even though his eyes did not gaze her face, he was sure that the barrier between both of them had just been broken.
"Oh really? Maybe we should speak in both languages from now on...my Celtics is not so good as I thought", the Roman spoke with his heavy accent, lowering her to the ground. In the process of bringing her down, her butts and legs rubbed his abs and legs, so that the blonde woman could feel how muscular the man was. As her feet landed, Julius's grip on her waistline, made her twist to face him. Her face was so different.
"You should smile more", Julius spoke turning to the stag and carrying it to next to Elu, tying its feet to the rope, pulling the large animal and tying the rope to one of the strong roots of that tree.
Elu chuckled at Julius' return quip. It was cut short abruptly as she felt her backside rub against his front as he lowered her. She lost the smile and blushed slightly at his comment. She moved and looked away as he lifted the deer into place. Once it was in place she pulled her knife and slit the stag's throat, letting any remaining blood drain out. She had been quiet until then. Still not facing him, she pointed in a direction and switched to Latin. "The stream is about fifteen paces that way if you wish to clean yourself. When you return I will take care of your outfit."
About then the men started to return with wood. She moved away and showed them where to dump it, then told them she would need more, sending them back out. She started to sort through the wood, putting some pieces aside. Once she had enough to start, she began building a frame of some sort. She started to hum quietly as she worked, once more becoming relaxed.
Not worrying about his men - after all, Elu had taught one of them a good lesson -, Julius spent some 30 minutes trying to get rid of the blood on his skin and his armour. He tried several tricks and even so, the same old crust remained. As a matter o fact, he was unsure whether the blood was his opponents' or stag's. It did not matter. Deep inside, he had the feeling that sooner than expected, he would have to change into more civilian clothes, otherwise he would be hunted down as a Roman saboteur.
The Roman returned slowly - darkness had already fallen and even so, he felt the darkness comfortably relaxing and safe. He smiled to himself, kicking the stones and wondering why that woman had appeared. By the time he returned, all his men waved, but the one who had followed Elu earlier. Clearly, he was upset with Julius. The Roman commander went to his men and engaged in chitchat.
Elu finished building her framework and set it aside. She then worked on making the fire pit a bit larger since she had not planned to cook a whole stag when she originally made it. Finished with that, and having a larger fire now gong, she moved to and started skinning the deer. She was careful as she came to the stomach area so as not to bust the bladder and spoil the meat. It didn't take her long and she set that aside too. She next removed the waste parts and set them aside to get rid of later, then removed the edible internal organs. Spitting them on a stick and getting herbs from her bag, she soon had them settled over the fire and roasting.
Elu had seen the Roman return and go to his men, just as well. She still wasn't ready to actually talk to him again. He made her feel odd. She went back to the deer and started cutting the front haunches off, planning to also roast it for the men to eat. Seasoning them as well, she soon had them over the fire too. Going back yet again, she drug the frame over with her and started cutting meat into thin, narrow strips to smoke. She would need to find some other things to add to it, but for now, she needed to get the meat going.
Julius continued to watch Elu with the corner of his eyes - the Roman had mixed feelings of curiosity, admiration and lust for the blonde woman. Some time later, the conversation moved towards the meat and then to the girl. The commander did not feel comfortable in saying anything about the female stranger. Even though she was a bit far, Julius had the feeling that she could understand Latin and her reluctance to speak it was much more due to her stubborn behaviour than anything else.
"It seems that the commander has someone to warm his feet tonight", one said for the others to laugh.
"And she is pretty indeed, look at her butts: firm and round. She is a good woman to have children", the one who tried to attack said, pointing her body out. If Elu were not understanding or paying attention to their conversation, his rude move of his hand and forefinger certainly made her sure that she was the main topic then. That was enough and Julius, who had been serious until that moment, stood up and ordered.
"Shut up you all! This woman is helping us and all you have in mind is nothing related to thanking her", an angered Julius walked towards her with the same serious face, but this time, she could read guilty in his semblance. Rather differently from the first time when he saved Elu for no reason, this time he had a reason to like and trust her. His plans and actions would surprise her even more, if Elu knew about his recent past.
"Apologies for their behaviour", Julius spoke, lowering his head in sign of respect.
Finished filling the frame with what she could at this point, she was moving it back towards the fire to dry. Setting it in place to some specification only she knew, she looked up at Julius with a final tug of the contraption. It wasn't hard to hear the men's discussion, they tended towards loud anyway. But place them in a quiet forest and even a whisper sounded like a shout to one who was used to the silence of a forest not used to the chatter of Humans. Elu gave the Roman a one shouldered shrug. "It is a male thing." She neither seemed upset or amused. She had the demeanor of one who just accepted it as it was.
Turning the meat she was actually cooking so it would do so evenly, Elu then moved to her pack and pulled out a couple of empty pouches, and then moved towards the Roman's cast off clothed. "Is this all of it then? Except what you wear, of course." She gathered the items up as she spoke and turned to look at him as she waited for him to answer. Not in any big hurry, she would let his clothes soak a bit while she found what she needed to get the blood out, and gathered some things for the travel meat she was preparing. It was going to be a long night, and probably several days, but nothing she couldn't handle.
It surprised her how nonchalantly Elu reacted to his men's lack of respect. Even more worrying was her apparent uninterest for Julius' apologies. The Roman commander had heard that other cultures had problems in dealing with the concept of politeness and finesse - apparently, that Celtic woman was one of them. He would have to learn how to deal with her, specially because she was turning out to be very useful. As he rose his head, nothing would have prepared for her request: she wanted to take his clothes for washing them.
Aghast, Julius' eyes flickered trying to understand how Elu's mind worked. That was far more than strange. Without knowing exactly what to do, the tall Julius nodded and turned his back to return to his men, just to remember that the cotton shirt used under his armour was also impregnated. It had been bothering him to walk shirtless, so he put it on after washing himself in the stream. However, the shirt was not dirtied by the Stag's blood, but by human blood from the last weeks' endless fighting. Without thinking, he removed it again, revealing his muscular back. She could clearly spot every muscle in his back as he breathed. Momentarily, Julius stood there holding his shirt, wondering whether it would be worth giving that shirt with human blood to her. Then, he turned to face her eyes inquisitively.
"I forgot this one. It is exactly the worst of all. Do you think it can be saved?", Julius said. "But it is not the blood of the stag.”
Elu watched Julius walk off. Clearly his culture treated their females far different than her own did, not that she really had a culture, but still. She was starting to turn away when she noted that he'd paused and then took his shirt off. Turning back to her with it and speaking. Taking the few steps needed she approached him, her expression carefully neutral. She wasn't about to give away the strange affects he was suddenly having on her since he'd lifted her up to the tree. "I can save it." She took the shirt and quickly turned away.
Disappearing into the forest, she quickly made her way to the stream. Setting his clothes in the water to soak for a while, holding them in place with large, heavy rocks found nearby. She then scouted the edge of the water and found the things she needed to clean his clothes. Returning, she set them aside close by. Still wanting them to soak some more, she then started hunting berries and nuts. After some time, and the pouches mostly full, she finally returned to the clothes.
She set to work on the clothes. It took some time, and much scrubbing on her part, to finally get them cleaned. Once she did, she wrung them out and then draped them over her arm. She returned to the camp and dropped the pouches near her bedroll. She then started to hang his clothes about the campsite so they could dry. She then returned to the fire and turned the meat. She moved to the frame and started turning the strips over as well.
The whole time she was gone, her thoughts kept returning to the Roman. She didn't understand why, other than she'd just met him. But that didn't explain how she'd keep returning to and dwelling on the affect he'd had on her when he'd lowered her down. Her body had reacted strangely to the close feel and sliding down his body. Her heart had sped up slightly, and she had felt as if there were butterflies suddenly loose in her stomach. And now, every time she looked at him, or he was near, she started reacting the same way. Finally, she gave a disgusted sigh at herself as she kept turning the strips over.